Infectum
by Angel Commando
Summary: Blacklight is back. Toby Knight and Alex Mercer team up to uncover the source of the viral flare - and ultimately end up revealing more secrets from Blackwatch. Armageddon is a lot closer than anyone thinks. . . M/M, slight AU. Continued from Sanctum.
1. Prologue: Behind The Glass

**Disclaimer**: I do not own any part of the Prototype universe. All characters are property of those who own Prototype. If anybody tries to gain money off of this franchise - be forewarned. Alex Mercer _will _find you, and you may find yourself sharing the fate of Karen Parker.

* * *

**Title**: Infectum.

**Summary**: The infection is surging again. Toby Knight must try to uncover the source of the viral flare - but between being an ex-Marine, fighting Blackwatch forces, and trying to keep a man-turned-virus calm. . . Life isn't easy anymore. Slight AU.

**Rating:** T - and I will be trying to keep this at a teen level - for now. Rating subject to change in later chapters.

**Author's Notes: **Alright. This is the first time I'm doing something of this caliber. This is my chance to play around in the fanfiction verse of Prototype. Being such, I actually decided to make it a continuation off of my twin's (Clever Ducky) fanfiction, **Sanctum.** So if you have not read hers, you may not understand some of the content in mine. So this is a selfless plug for her, go read it! It's a good story - you'll like it, guaranteed. Critiques are welcome, but keep in mind that I'm taking some creative license here, so things may be somewhat different. Ducky, this is all your fault that this story happened, and as such, you get thanks for what's going to take place!

**Warnings: **This story will contain several pairings. Namely Pariah/OC, and Alex/OC. There will be MxM in later chapters, aka slash. I will label all chapters accordingly, via the content inside of it. For this chapter: some violence, slight gore.

Enjoy.

* * *

I can feel the animal inside  
My resolve is weakening  
Pounding on the doors of my mind  
It's nearly overpowering  
I cannot begin to describe  
The hunger that I feel again  
Run if you intend to survive  
For the beast is coming to life

"The Animal" - Disturbed

* * *

Pain.

Everything about her life was pain. Agony, anguish - it carried many names, but always bore the same meaning, same emotions. The hot prickling under her skin, the rabid hunger that threatened to tear her apart from the inside. . . Some days, she wished that she was dead. On better days, she wished she had her Kin to relieve the carnage inside of her body. Sometimes, if she sat still and pretended to sleep, the scientists would talk about how she lacked discipline, how she would eventually lose control over her instincts. She wouldn't be able to keep herself from spreading the infection on that day.

They would tell each other that it was her primary purpose in life. Infect. Consume. Destroy.

It wasn't true.

_He _was the driving force in her life. It was the reason why she endured the torture, why she bothered to care about the heart beating in her chest. Whenever he touched her, she felt peace flood through her. The rabid urges inside of her would calm, leech out of her body and into his. He accepted her pain like it was nothing, consumed it, made it a part of him. And afterward, he would always look at her with a small smile on his lips and a soft touch to her face.

"_We're a part of each other now. Can't you feel it?_" He had told her that once, on one of the days where the drugs weren't as strong through her body.

Though their meetings were sparse, seconds spent together among the years that separated them, it was her drive to continue living. She ached for the day where they would speak freely, be able to touch each other without boundaries for the first time. That one day, he would free her from the straps that tied her body together. The horrible Jacket that kept her confined. Straps and buckles covered her entire torso, from the neck to the tips of her fingers. Beneath that, another special Jacket had been constructed to keep her arms covered at all times. It was infuriating to be trapped inside of it, to be never able to touch him during their meetings. Never, in all of their meetings, had she been allowed to touch him. He could touch her, and did, often running his hands freely over whatever exposed skin there was, but she could not return the affections.

It drove her to the brink of insanity on some days, especially considering the urge to _touch_, to _feel_, was burning her up on the inside.  
_  
_It was worse that the consuming red hunger that devoured her on the inside. More agonizing to endure the pain that tried to rip her apart on the outside.

The Jacket made it worse. It clamped her hands and arms down to her body, forever forcing her to hold herself, to touch nothing else besides the Jacket. _'Designed to desensitize the skin_,' one of the scientists had said, _'it'll help keep her calm._'

He was a liar. It made it worse. It made her want to rip her arms out of their sockets just to fling the horrid Jacket away from her. To scream until her throat went raw and dry and she lost her voice. She started to thrash around inside of it, attracting the attention of the scientists.

Why didn't they understand that she wanted it off? That she would rather tear off her own skin rather than wear this horrifying monstrosity-

But not today.

That thought calmed her, and through the feverish haze of the drugs that clouded her mind, she found herself gaining her mind. Thought and sanity were slowly filling her again, and this made her still.

_are you ready?_

The voice was small in her mind, but she knew who it was. Serenity instantly filled her, and a sigh of content escaped her.

_Yes. I'm ready._

_good. i'll meet you when you come here. remember to follow the scent.  
__  
_And just like that, the horrible restraints of the Jacket fell away.

Her arms were. . . free. They were there, dangling loose at her sides, with nothing to bind them to her body. She reveled in the shock and awe of it for a long moment, moving her fingers and hands for what felt like the first time since her birth. Alarms started to blare, lights began to flash, and people started to yell - but she didn't hear it. Didn't see any of it. Her lips twitched, and laughter bubbled up from her. It sounded hysterical and high-pitched, but she didn't care. They could yell and scream all they wanted. They could press buttons on their control panels and activate their safeguards. . . None of it mattered. Not anymore, anyway. She was _free_. The driving need inside of her could finally be unleashed for the first time in ages, and she would not have to hold back.

Her laugh turned hoarse and raspy. It reminded her of sandpaper.

Her hands came up to her shoulders, and she pressed her fingertips into the sleeves of the Jacket.

The nearly silent hiss of gas began to fill her cell.  
_  
_She dug her fingers into the fabric and gave a cry of effort. The sleeves ripped free, tearing at the shoulders and leaving nothing but a multitude of buckles and clasps over her body. The horrible two-sleeved Jacket was gone, and for the first time in her conscious life, the skin of her arms was exposed to the open air. Tingles and shivers crawled down her bare skin, and as she turned her arms this way and that, she reveled in the feel of her own skin. It was glorious.

The sickly-sweet smell of gas flooding her cell brought her back to reality, and she smiled as she strode up casually to the glass walls of her prison. She lifted a hand and placed it onto the cell wall, shivering at the sensation of cold glass. The smile on her face turned wicked, and with a single flex of her muscles, sickly red tentacles separated from her arm and slithered across the surface of the wall. The men wearing white coats screamed as it grew in size and mass, covering half of the glass with a growth of abnormal color and size. It clung to the glass like a giant tumor.  
_  
hurry. the gas will take hold soon._ The voice urged her, and she was helpless to deny him.

She wasted no time in letting her instincts take over again, and then the glass was shattering, the red and black growth falling to the floor. She shook her arm briefly to detach the growth from her skin, and it did so, red mass melting off of her limb easily. Then she proceeded onward, wicked smile still plastered on her face.

A guard rushed at her, a gun in his hands. It wasn't the one that contained bullets. His gun had darts filled with drugs that would make her sleep. He thought that the eight feet of space separating them would be enough - it wasn't. She lifted her hand, and there was a brief second of pain as another tentacle shot out of her arm and wrapped around his neck, dragging him to her. She grabbed at his throat, and almost instantly he collapsed onto the ground, writhing and groaning. The sickeningly satisfying sound of cracking bone and the wet smack of muscles tearing filled the air, and she found herself laughing again.

Yes. _Yes. _

She would be able to inflict the same agony they had enacted on her. It would be nothing more than beautiful, watching them scream in horror and pain before her Kin tore into them. She watched as her newly-created Kin launched itself at scientist and soldier alike, tearing into them with bloodthirsty abandon. She walked over limp bodies and splashes of blood, pausing to admire the carnage. Blood dripped off of the walls and onto the floor, collecting into larger puddles. The growth she'd used to free herself was crawling through the hallways, consuming dead bodies and covering the walls and floor with a spongy organic growth.

_hurry. hurry. follow the scent. _

She began to move onwards when the voice in her mind began to tug on her own impatiently. She obeyed without question, walking calmly through the corridors that were being violently attacked by her outburst. A few more guards ran at her, but each of them met his demise at her hand, with nothing but a simple brush of her fingertips. She found that she rather loved it, the way their skin felt. The steady throb of life beneath their skin. How could they call her inferior ('_a bloodthirsty monster_', one had said), when she could grab onto their skin and change the life that resided inside of them?

_They _were the inferior race.

The scent was nothing more than a faint impression on her mind, a trace of him here and there that she picked up with her mind. She would be able to find him, though. He was her Kin. She would be able to find him if they stuck her in a dark room wearing that horrible Jacket. Eventually, however, this scent led her through the hallways, past the skirmishes, and into a large hangar bay. She paused when she realized that he wasn't here. . . and the trail had ended.  
_  
"About time._" A man said, his voice muffled through the mask he wore. He startled her, his voice dropping from thin air. He was a soldier, too, and he was wearing body armor and heavily muscled. A twinge of unease ran through her, until she realized that he was not a regular person.

Her suspicion was confirmed when his body was covered in a swirl of red and black biomass - and then _he _was standing there, smiling cockily at her, eyes containing a wicked gleam.

_How do I react? Do I smile back? What am I supposed to do? _Her mind spun in a confusing whirl as she turned to face him. One of their lower Kin strode over to them, drawing close to her and growling. With an impatient flick of her hand, she dismissed it, and instead stepped closer to _him_, her true Kin, the one that made her heart act funny in her chest and her stomach twist into a hard little ball. Already, she felt like her throat was dry, her hands feeling hypersensitive and strange.  
_  
What do I say? For the first time, my body is free from drugs. . . And I can't think of what to say._

The words just weren't there.

As it turns out, she really didn't have to say anything. He took control of the situation, covering the short distance between them and touched her. He actually _touched _her, for what seemed like the first time since their lives had begun. Her legs felt kind of weak and wobbly, but she smiled back at him all the same. _So this is what it's like to hold hands with somebody_, she thought as their fingers intertwined, _I think I like it. _  
_  
_She opened her mouth to speak, the first time she had ever done so freely and without drugs coursing through her veins -

But she never got the chance.

Her body jerked, her hand ripping out of his grasp, her body doing a strange stagger as she tried to regain her balance, but her brain wasn't functioning right. Her vision began to falter, shrinking down to pinpoint of him. He was. . . Covered in blood and bits of black matter. For a brief second, she even saw his face, his expression undecipherable. But then her body relaxed, and she fell down, dead before she even hit the ground. _  
_


	2. The World Set Free

**Disclaimer**: I do not own any part of the Prototype universe. All characters are property of those who own Prototype. If anybody tries to gain money off of this franchise - be forewarned. Alex Mercer _will _find you, and you may find yourself sharing the fate of Karen Parker.

* * *

**Title**: Infectum.

**Summary**: The infection is surging again. Toby Knight must try to uncover the source of the viral flare - but between being an ex-Marine, fighting Blackwatch forces, and trying to keep a man-turned-virus calm. . . Life isn't easy anymore. Slight AU.

**Rating:** T - and I will be trying to keep this at a teen level - for now. Rating subject to change in later chapters.

**Author's Notes: **Okay! Sorry about the late update. I'm working on trying to update this fanfic and a couple others. My Twin drew me a beautiful drawing of Ellis in exchange for this chapter. After looking at it, I realized there wasn't a whole lot I was wanting to change, and Ducky told me that it was perfect the way it was. I kind of agree with her. Besides a tweak here or there, I love it the way it is. If there are spelling or grammatical errors, please tell me and I will fix them. Reviews are welcome!

**Warnings: **This chapter contains male slash. Not a whole lot, but there's enough there to warrant a warning.

* * *

The bridge is burning and there's no returning.  
To the desert songs of yesterday.  
These streets are cracked and all the trees have died  
But I will not lose faith I will not stray.

"The Road" - In This Moment

* * *

_I've become a goddamn housewife._

That was the first thought that crossed Toby Knight's mind as he scowled at the apartment door in front of him. He was a _Marine_. Not a tool to be manipulated in such a way that he was forced to do the grocery shopping for an _asshole_. The scowl he was wearing quickly morphed into a glare, and the irate man somehow managed to fish the keys to the apartment out of his jeans. From there he unlocked the door, picked up the several bags scattered around his person, and let himself in. _  
_

The apartment they lived in was far from clean, but Toby made it a point to at least try to keep it as tidy as possible. Between Alex obsessing over Blackwatch and ensuring he kept up-to-date on their movements, and two men trying to live together. . . It was impossible to keep clean. Not to mention that Alex's intel-gathering had somehow transformed their apartment into something of a war room. Intel documents had been taped onto the walls, blown-up satellite photos scattered everywhere. Toby had lived and breathed military life for years - keeping everything immaculate was not a want, it was a need. Sometimes, Toby thought the bastard purposefully made the apartment a mess, just to sit there and watch him clean it. Toby ambled to the kitchen, dumping off his groceries and heaving a sigh.

He might have been having an intense sexual relationship with another man, but a woman's touch he did not have.

_Wouldn't some people call that being gay?_ He thought idly to himself as he shoved groceries away as quickly as possible. He'd organized the cupboards long ago. Food went fast in the apartment, given Toby had a big appetite, and if Alex felt like eating, well. . . Then food disappeared even faster. Apparently, men-turned viruses could devour an entire fridge full of food if said man-turned-virus really put his mind to it. _That _incident had cost them both well over $300 worth of food. _Good god, I've never seen any man - Marines included - eat that fast. _

"How the hell do women do it?" He finally asked aloud, shutting the fridge door and staring moodily at it. _  
_

Alex didn't really have to eat, but he did on occasion just for the hell of it. Gifted in the art of cooking, Toby was not, except for grilling and frying things - what man couldn't make a steak? - and both of them had easily tired of steak and hamburger night after night. And so, they had worked out a deal. Alex funded them, and Toby would do the shopping. Truthfully it was more like said hoodie-wearing bastard _forced_ him to do the shopping, since he didn't have to eat anything. Still, Toby was a goddamn _Marine_, and he wasn't going to just let Alex leave him in the apartment while he did god-knew-what in Manhattan.

Toby wasn't one to get antsy easily, but being stuck inside of Manhattan, in a new apartment for over three months. . . Well, it was making him start to fidget.

Their routine never really broke stride. Alex researched Blackwatch, and kept a constant vigil over Dana Mercer. Even though he was really just a virus with memories of people he consumed, he genuinely cared for Dana. His little sister was still currently in a coma, kept inside of Dr. Ragland's new hospital facilities. Toby normally manned the fort at the apartment, helping to keep tabs on Blackwatch, but other than that, there wasn't much to do.

He'd been doing this for three months.

Three months.

It had been three months since the infection had started to die down, and the once-rotting skeleton of Manhattan was beginning to come back to life. . . It had been three months since Mark had died.

Just thinking that brought a pang of agony in his chest, and Toby rubbed absently at the skin over his heart, helping to ease it away. With Mark. . . He'd made a mistake. It had taken him a while to see that, to stop blaming himself endlessly for what had happened to his little brother. Alex Mercer had helped him to see that, even though Mark's death had been partly his fault, too.

"Don't think so hard, Marine. You'll fry your brain."

Quick as a flash, Toby stifled his surprised and schooled his expression into a scowl and aimed it directly at the man he'd been thinking about. _Speak of the devil and he shall appear_. Alex Mercer appeared like a ninja, silent and still until he decided to speak. It had scared Toby at first, but over time he'd gotten used to Mercer dropping out of thin air and suddenly being behind him, waiting for him to turn around. He would have been a horrible Marine had he not been able to take it all in stride. Mercer stood there, an arrogant smirk on his face, like he knew Toby's train of thought.

Mercer was tall. Intimidating. Powerful. A hoodie almost always covered his face, shading his facial expressions from view - but Toby could always tell what kind of a mood Mercer was in by looking at his eyes. Electric blue, and prone to growing shades darker and lighter depending on what Mercer was feeling. It had taken Toby some time, but eventually he had come to understand that Mercer's body language and his eyes were the most crucial parts to revealing his moods.

Right now, the goddamn bastard was amused.

Toby grit his teeth, strode over to him, and jabbed a finger in his chest.

"You're a conceited asshole, I hate you, and wipe that goddamn smirk off of your face." Toby growled, scowl turning into a hostile glare.

Mercer's smirk only widened, turning more wicked. His eyes flashed, and he leaned forward slightly, invading Toby's personal space. Alex radiated heat like no one he'd ever known, and he could feel that heat now, eliciting a shiver down his spine.

"If I don't?" He said quietly, eyes flickering in the shadow of his hood again.

Alex had always been like this; he craved power struggles. Mercer like dominating, and Toby liked to push him back. It often resulted in a wrestling match over who got top and who had to bottom. Another shiver stole down Toby's spine.

"I'll get it off for you." Toby growled, though it was starting to lack heat, and gaining huskier tones. Goddamn, his voice gave away too much of his own emotions.

Alex became a blur of movement, then, and the next thing Toby knew, his back was to a wall, and Mercer was pressed intimately against him, lips rough over his own. Alex had pinned one of his wrists down, but Toby made short work of fisting his other hand in Alex's shirt - trying to push him away or pull him closer, he couldn't really tell. _I'm supposed to be pissed he made me be a housewife again!_ His mind thought obstinately, but it was quickly swept away when Alex decided to start biting at Toby's lower lip. Arousal flared sharply in the Marine, and he found himself responding to Alex, craving more -

The phone rang.

Alex didn't even still, just kept going, but Toby did, if only for a moment. Choice few people had the number to the secure phone line they had, and if one of those people were calling it was bound to be important.

"We should-" Toby started to say, breaking off their kiss, but Alex started it up roughly again, pinning both of his hands now that he had the opportunity. Toby lashed out, kicking Alex in the leg, but it only made him laugh.

Despite Toby's best struggles, somehow his shirt had been stripped off of him, and his jeans were unbuttoned and unzipped. He honestly had no idea how in the holy hell the fucker had gotten them onto the floor so goddamn fast, but it had happened, and Alex was still _dressed_ for Christ sakes! Toby reached for the hoodie and yanked it off impatiently, Alex's muted laugh ringing in his ears and Toby resisted the urge to punch him in the jaw.

A beep, and the message machine answered.

"_Alex, Toby - this is Ragland-_" The voice was saying from the machine. _  
_

Toby felt Alex stiffen, all of his movements halting. It looked like someone had doused ice water on him. Mercer's eyes were wide, shock playing over his features. Toby froze, head slowly turning to look at the phone and the answering machine sitting innocently on the countertop.

"-_I need you to come over to my hospital. I've got something important to tell you._" With a click, Ragland hung up the phone, and for a few, numb moments, Toby and Alex sat there on the floor, in a tangle of limbs and half-removed clothing.

_Oh, hell. It's about Dana, isn't it? Did she wake up or. . ._? Toby had found himself growing attached to the foul-mouthed twenty-something year old. She might had looked and acted like a punk, but she meant good, and had a personality that was somewhat friendly. If she died. . . The Marine turned and looked at Alex, his eyes morphing to a dark, smoky blue. He was angry. Angry and concerned.

"We have to go." He said, abruptly standing, dragging Toby up with him.

Alex left to go visit Dana daily. He had spent hours at Ragland's hospital, keeping silent watch over Dana as she slept on, blissfully unaware of the world around her. Toby had been to see her once or twice, but it had been. . . Too close to Mark's death. Too raw around the edges to see another person suffering so badly. He liked Dana well enough, and he felt bad that he couldn't bring himself to visit her daily, but this. . . This was another matter altogether.

"I'll get the keys." Toby said, scrambling to throw on his clothes. Years of drills and boot camp gave him speed, and soon Toby had the car keys, and was jogging out of the apartment door. Alex was already gone, having taken his route of rooftops and alleyways.

Toby swore quietly to himself as he sped to the parking garage in the apartment complex. The truck was a sturdy thing, a big model that drove like a boat but it offered decent protection. Alex had liberated it during the outbreak, and since then Toby had had no qualms over driving it around. Even if it had belonged to somebody else, Toby knew Alex had acquired it from the street somewhere.

The drive to Ragland's hospital took ten minutes tops - but it felt so much longer. Hastily parking the truck, Toby jumped out and easily breezed by the nurses stations set up. The hospital staff gave him a few strange looks as he blew past them at Mach 5, but they quickly lost interest when he blew into the makeshift morgue. Dr. Ragland's unofficial office. Alex was already there, tense and bristling, body looking to be on the verge of snapping. Mercer was hanging onto his control by a string. Alex looked as though he was going to kill anything that moved if Ragland said the dreaded words.

"Toby," Ragland acknowledged, eyes never leaving Alex, "Glad you're here."

"What's wrong with Dana?" Alex finally snapped, the words leaving his throat in a vicious snarl. The table he was holding dented, and then cracked - making a horrible, loud noise that echoed throughout the spacious room.

Toby winced, but recovered quickly and tried not to let his heart speed up. If Ragland said those three, horrible words, if the doctor even thought of letting them out. . . God help the survivors that remained in Manhattan. Alex would probably slaughter them all.

Ragland blinked, surprised momentarily, but it easily melted into an apologetic expression.

"Dana is fine, Alex," He said, pitching his voice low, soothing, "There's no change in her condition. I'm sorry to have left the wrong impression. . . No. What I wanted to tell you about - today, I was visited by the military."

Alex visibly eased, although he still remained guarded when he heard 'military'. Toby found himself relaxing, too, and he blew out a breath of pent-up air that he hadn't known he'd been holding.

"What did they want?" Alex asked, his tone bordering on sinister. Mercer and the military had no lost love, something Toby knew very well. He'd seen Mercer kill men by throwing them into _walls._

At that, Ragland fidgeted uncomfortably. He took his glasses off, and began to clean them.

"They wanted information. Access to the records of the dead I kept during the last infection," He paused, seeming to trail off, nervous, "And. . . I found out the infection. . . It's restarted itself."

Ice flooded through Toby, and for a moment he thought he hadn't heard that right. He stared at Ragland, and then stared a little more. He fumbled for the correct words, unable to coherently express what he was feeling. Finally,_ finally, _he found his voice, and when he spoke, his tone was just as shocked as he felt.

"You've. . . Got to be fucking kidding me."


	3. Things To Come

**Disclaimer**: I do not own any part of the Prototype universe. All characters are property of those who own Prototype. If anybody tries to gain money off of this franchise - be forewarned. Alex Mercer _will _find you, and you may find yourself sharing the fate of Karen Parker.

* * *

**Title**: Infectum.

**Summary**: The infection is surging again. Toby Knight must try to uncover the source of the viral flare - but between being an ex-Marine, fighting Blackwatch forces, and trying to keep a man-turned-virus calm. . . Life isn't easy anymore. Slight AU.

**Rating:** T - and I will be trying to keep this at a teen level - for now. Rating subject to change in later chapters.

**Author's Notes: **Again there was a late delay, namely because real life came up and bit me in the ass, it's summer, and my twin was a bit delayed. Oh, and somehow I lost the first draft of this chapter, and I still don't know how that happened to it. So I had to rewrite it. Anyway, since I'm working full time though the summer, it's always kind of a hassle trying to get everything together. And then comes the fact that I got in trouble with my parents, so of course this was even MORE delayed. Oy vey. I present to you, an interlude chapter. And don't worry children, we'll be returning to our scheduled programming soon!

**Warnings: **This chapter is a tease. There a naughty word or two, but nothing should offend any delicate sensibilities.

* * *

I wish I didn't need you now  
And I wish you didn't need me  
Need you now  
You need me

'Cause you hate me  
And I hate you  
But you need me  
And I need you  
I need you  
Need you now.

"Symbiont" - Celldweller

* * *

Adam Jackson examined the activity stretching around him in silence as he walked down the hallways of sector five.

Cleanup and hazmat crews were heavily present in the hallways, scrubbing and scraping the walls, floor, and ceiling endlessly. Several of the workers had already experienced fingernails breaking, hands bleeding, and cracked skin on their elbows and knees. Recovery procedures had been heavily underway for the better part of three days, and only sectors one through five had been cleaned. The worst of the damage, sectors six and seven, were still in the process of biomass extraction. Roughly a couple thousand pounds had already been taken out, and it appeared that they had gone through the worst of it. Still, Jackson had placed thirty Black Ops men in with the cleanup crew, to assist in the effort.

"Sir," a voice said, interrupting his thoughts. He turned to find one of the scientists garbed in a hazmat suit, "Sanitation of sectors one through four are complete, and sectors are operational. Sanitation of sector five is currently underway."

"I can see that." He replied, glancing at the many people scattered throughout the corridor.

The scientist shambled off without another word, and Jackson turned his attention back to the cleanup crew. Anger sliced through him, although nothing in his stance betrayed it. He was Adam Jackson, captain of the Blackwatch detail assigned to prisoner 017. Most of this carnage and destruction was his fault, although the higher ups hadn't shot him for his transgressions just yet. He had to muck through the aftermath first, clean up the crap that had resulted from his negligence.

Jackson had been captain of prisoner 017's security detail. He had been for years. Jackson was the tender age of thirty-four. He had been inducted as personal jailer of subject 017 at the young age of twenty-three. Jackson had clawed his way to the top, and he had been determined to keep the position. Jackson had been everything Blackwatch had been looking for - cold, ruthless, unemotional. He cared nothing for the people he killed, or the comrades he readily fired upon. His final test to join Blackwatch - murder the people in his Army outfit with his combat knife.

When he had passed, the Blackwatch scout had pressed the bloody knife into his hand and told him he had been accepted. No congratulations or anything. There was no ass-kissing in Blackwatch. Just heavy mental and physical conditioning and the most rigorous training that had ever graced any military unit in the world.

For eleven years he had been in charge of everything involving subject 017. If she had wanted to take a shower or eat food, he had overseen every step of the procedure. If the scientists wanted to study her, he made sure every protocol was followed through to a T. For eleven years, he had ensured that there was no breach in security, no faulty failsafe. Until three days ago.

Clenching his fist, Jackson turned in the corridor, finding the cleanup crew was still going along as quickly as they could. Rage flared through him, heating his blood to a boil.

For eleven years, he had warned the scientific team about letting Subjects 017 and 002 congregate. It bought nothing but trouble in the end. While it was true that Subject 002 was somewhat calmer and less prone to trying to attack his guards. While 017 had never been allowed out of her jacket, and microphones had been carefully woven into the threads of her specially-designed straight jacket. Subject 002 had never said anything about planning a breakout.

Much less that Subject 017 was supposed to be the center of it.

"Captain Jackson, sir," A soldier said, drawing his attention again, "Commander Trent has requested your presence in his office."

There was no dread, no guilt. Blackwatch had trained that right out of him when he was younger. If anything, he felt only regret - something else that Blackwatch should have eradicated a long time ago. . . But he couldn't let it go. Subject 017 had been his responsibility. She had been for the past eleven years. He regretted the fact that he hadn't been able to shoot the rest of her when he'd put a bullet in her brain the day of their escape.

Jackson turned away from the soldier without saying a word, dismissing him back to his other tasks. Walking back up through the corridor, he made a beeline for main Headquarters, which had been left untouched through the entire ordeal. The pair of Runners had been unable to infiltrate the anti-Blacklight defenses that surrounded it. Jackson was scanned four different times by virus detectors before he was allowed to entire the central hub of soldier activity. Once there, he proceeded into the wing that housed Commander Trent - and the Blacklight War Room.

He entered the Commander's office without bothering to knock. There was no need for privacy in Blacklight. You didn't join this outfit if you had secrets to hide.

Commander Trent was wearing an updated version of the Blackwatch's Black Ops armor, and currently, the smaller five foot eleven man was hunched over the desk, pen scribbling over paper. He did not look up at Jackson as the other man approached the desk. The Commander had taken over Blackwatch's operations after Taggart had died at the hands of Zeus. He was a somewhat smaller man, height-wise, but he definitely made up for it in muscle mass and strategic planning. Trent had been Taggart's go-to man when it came to capture or military strategy, and there was no doubt about that anywhere in the ranks of Blackwatch.

Jackson, by comparison, was taller, standing at a solid six foot three, and every available muscle on his body had been worked and hardened to become lethal. He could kill a man with a well-placed punch, if he so chose. Or woman. Or a certain teen-aged human-turned-virus. . .

"You fucked up, Jackson," Trent said, still writing on the paper, "It was quite spectacular."

"Yes, sir." Jackson replied, standing at attention. If he was going to get shot, he was going to get shot. There would be no helping that.

"You know what I hate most about this job, Jackson? It's paperwork. And thanks to your spectacular failure, I've had to do more paperwork today than I ever had in my entire Blackwatch career."

"I understand, sir."

"We had forty Blackwatch casualties. Thirty-two of them being standard Blackwatch soldiers, four more being Black Ops, and the rest were our Heavy troopers. All of those forms had to be filled out in triplicate. For our soldiers alone, Jackson. I won't tell you how many scientists and doctors were infected or killed outright. That's a lot of paperwork, wouldn't you agree?"

"Yes, sir."

Trent signed his name at the bottom of the form, and finally placed the pen to the left side of the desk before looking up at the Captain standing before him. Not an ounce of weakness or fear inside of Jackson. Blackwatch had taken those flaws from him.

"Do you know what your punishment is going to be?" Trent asked him. Jackson nodded his head minutely.

"Yes, sir. Removal of office, followed by termination."

"Correct. Do you believe that you deserve this punishment for the clusterfuck you've caused?"

"Yes, sir."

Trent was silent, and then, suddenly, the man smiled. It was wicked and cold.

"That punishment sounds much too easy for you, Jackson. I've chosen another route. You will pursue Subject 017 into Manhattan. We've already established a preliminary containment barrier around the area she is occupying. You lost control of her, it's your job to get her back. Now get the fuck out of my office." Trent commanded, and Jackson gave him a salute before he turned sharply on his heel and left the office.

As he left, the same nasty, wicked grin split his lips.

_Looks like we'll be getting our playtime after all._

017 was his responsibility again. He would deliver her right into the hands of Blackwatch. Where she belonged.


	4. The First And Last Thing

**Disclaimer**: I do not own any part of the Prototype universe. All characters are property of those who own Prototype. If anybody tries to gain money off of this franchise - be forewarned. Alex Mercer _will _find you, and you may find yourself sharing the fate of Karen Parker.

* * *

**Title**: Infectum.

**Summary**: The infection is surging again. Toby Knight must try to uncover the source of the viral flare - but between being an ex-Marine, fighting Blackwatch forces, and trying to keep a man-turned-virus calm. . . Life isn't easy anymore. Slight AU.

**Rating:** M. Finally upgraded it!

**Author's Notes: **You guys are so spoiled. This is honestly the most frequently and often I've ever updated a story, seriously. Ha. Even I feel a little proud of myself. Although, this is all mainly because of Ducky. Without my twin, this story wouldn't exist, and either would the freaking asshole Toby. He's a bitch to write, by the way. So many mood swings! Anyway, blame Ducky for everything that's happening here. Really. Enjoy the chapter! Oh, and last note, this is my first time writing yaoi, so please, be gentle. Really. I don't mind reviews/critiques, but I know I'm not perfect.

**Warnings: **This chapter contains hot man on man action! Not to mention a lot of cursing, too, but Toby is a Marine. How can you expect them not to curse?

* * *

Silent I go under, I am not afraid  
I can see the daylight shine, and slowly drift away  
Safe to say it's over, sink into the grave  
There is nothing left inside, but I am wide awake  
I can hear the devil call my name.

"Hopeless" - Breaking Benjamin

* * *

Toby threw the truck keys carelessly onto the counter, and he exhaled as he moved from the kitchen to the living room. What a day. What a hell of a day. He'd had to go grocery shopping for one, and then the goddamn call from Ragland had come in. After the initial shock had worn off in the morgue, Toby and Alex had pestered the doctor with all kinds of damn questions - none of which he could answer to any certainty. Ragland had simply taken off his glasses, rubbed them, and sighed.

"_I don't know why the infection is restarting itself. The military hasn't told me anything, either. All I got from them was to study the new patients coming into the morgue, and monitor the infection levels coming into the city. Toby, Alex, please be careful. If I'm right, Blackwatch should be coming back into this city again._"

That had seemed like a big joke at the time, too. No Blackwatch soldier could take Alex on. Not even the heavy soldiers. No matter what the odds, Alex always won. Toby on the other hand. . . He had no infectious powers. Not a single lick of super strength, speed, or regenerative powers. He was human, through and through, and there wasn't a day that went by that he wasn't very aware of that fact. Stopping in the living room, Toby turned right back around and made a beeline for the fridge. Everything was exactly where he'd left it earlier, which was a good thing - because there was a wonderfully cold six pack of beer he planned on cracking open.

Grabbing the bottle, he shut the door with his foot, placed the neck of the bottle on the counter, and slammed it with the heel of his palm. The top cracked off, and although the Marine heard it make a light _ping_ as it hit the ground, he didn't bother to pick it up.

He was beyond the point of caring.

The infection had restarted itself - which meant one of two things.

One: Alex was running around the city, willingly infecting everything, damning the consequences, or

Two: There was another person like Alex running around, doing that job for him.

Since Mercer hadn't left his sight for over three months, that crossed out option one. Which left them with the bombshell that magically, another Alex-clone was running around. Toby had heard about Greene, had accessed and read into most of the files containing all of her classified information. Gentek had done a fine job making a biological weapon. Alex had the potential to become that, if he truly desired, but the man was indifferent. Mercer didn't want to run around infecting people and taking over the world.

Although, Toby sometimes wondered what it was like, having thousands of voices and memories screaming in your brain. . .

Flopping down on the couch, Toby kicked off his boots, sighed, and took a big swig of his beer.

"Unexpected news." Mercer said, his voice echoing from the back hallway. There was a window there, located next to the bathroom door, that he liked to enter from when he was free-running. Toby gave another sigh.

"Fuckin' bombshell was what that was." He muttered, taking another deep swig.

Alex paused behind the couch, and even though the back of the furniture he could feel Alex's body, radiating that intense heat. It always scorched him, no matter how far or close he was to the man. It felt like somebody was sticking the heat of a furnace in that man. Every touch to his bare skin felt like fire, singing his skin - just thinking about it made him shiver. It felt pretty damn good whenever Alex used that heat in bed.

"I'll get to the bottom of this." Alex said, and Toby heard him shifting to turn around and move out the window, but it irritated Toby.

No. No, it made him _pissed._ He was going to be expected to stay cooped up in the damn apartment while Alex went gallivanting off to save the day a second time. Rage flared in the Marine, and he set the half-empty beer down with a smack, before turning up to face Mercer.

"No, _we'll _figure it out together, asshole. You're not leaving me here for this. We both know I can help." It made him feel a lot better to snarl, to clench his fists at his sides.

He had to suppress the urge to walk ten feet over to the damn man and sock him hard, right in the face. It would probably shatter all of the bones in his hands, but it would definitely be worth it. He would feel so damn gratified then.

Alex's eyes flashed, and Toby found a dangerous glint entering them.

"No. The first time you wandered into the infected zone, I had to save your ass from a Hunter."

Rage bubbled through him, and Toby stalked over to Mercer, grabbing at the man's shirt and all but snapping in his face.

"I am a fucking _Marine_. If you keep me here for one more goddamn day, I will break. I am going to snap, and run out of this house, and never look back." Every word was said with deadly calm, and he was breathing hard, like he'd been running. His heart was pounding wildly, and with every second that passed, he knew it was true.

For three months, he had been locked inside of the apartment building. He had worked out, ran, had done research on Gentek for Alex, worked out some more, sat around - but he was a _Marine_. War was in his blood. It may have been true that he wasn't an overly violent person by nature, but he had been trained to fight. And Blackwatch and Gentek had helped take away Mark. If they were on the rise again now, he could strike back. He was ready, he'd been doing research, he knew how to kill them. He wanted to - no. No, he _needed _to. Some desperate part of him craved the collapse of the entire fucking company.

Alex's eyes sharpened to a glare, "You'll die five seconds in the infected zone. You know that."

Toby found a bitter laugh coming from his mouth, he couldn't help it. It was so damn funny that Mercer would say something like that.

"I'll die anyway. Sooner or later, I will die, and there's nothing you can do about that. But this is my _life_. I want to live it. You can't keep me from that, Alex!"

Silence, then, punctuated only by the heavy sound of Toby's breathing. Toby felt like he was walking a thin line between rage and peace. He often felt the same way in battle, moments before he was about to lift up his gun and pull the trigger. Like his mind had narrowed his world to a single point, and it would be so damn easy to hit the target. . . He sensed it, instead of actually seeing it - a tenseness in Alex's muscles began to drain away. Those dangerous blue eyes relaxed, and one of the man's hands came up to grab at his wrist.

"Alright. . . Alright." Alex said, gently beginning to pry Toby's hands off of his shirt.

Toby let him, the turmoil of emotions battling through him. Alex held his wrists and lowered his hands to his side, and Toby stood there, unsure of what else he should do. Alex had agreed. Mercer had finally conceded to his wishes about going out - for once - into the battlefield. He wasn't sure if it was a lie. Mercer wasn't below lying to him every once in a while. It was all in the name of "keeping him safe."

"Don't lie to me. Do you understand me, Alex? Do _not _lie to me." Toby found himself saying, his voice much more calm now. He felt slightly better.

"I'm not. You can come - we just have to be careful. I don't want you to die."

Alex hadn't said it in a mushy, I-love-you way. He'd said nonchalantly, as though he didn't care. Toby knew otherwise, and he suddenly understood Mercer's reasoning. Toby might have been a Marine, but he was still very much human. Alex, on the other hand, could survive everything short of a tank full of upgraded Bloodtox. And even then Alex's body would build a new immunity to the damn anti-viral weapon. Toby Knight, on the other hand, could die if somebody shot a piece of lead into his skull.

"It'll happen sometime. I can't just stay inside of a house for the rest of my life because I'm too scared to leave."

Silence again, and Toby found himself licking his lips, which suddenly felt very dry. He found Alex's hand touching his side, his skin feeling so damn hot that it burned through the simple cotton shirt he wore. A shiver stole down his spine, chills racing across his body. Yeah. He knew this feeling pretty well.

Make-up sex was always some of the best things about relationships, weren't they?

The next thing Toby was aware of was Mercer's mouth on his neck, giving a hard nip at the skin there and then licking. Toby groaned, tension draining out of his muscles, blood heating. His body recalled what had been transpiring before Ragland had called, and he was glad for it.

Mercer's bites and licks increased in their intensity, and his hand began to creep under Toby's shirt, drifting down to the waistband of his jeans. Toby's hands itched to move, and he was glad when they finally did - because his brain had shut off about a minute ago. He worked at Mercer's hoodie, and then the undershirt the man wore. He heard Alex give a sharp intake of breath, and a smile cracked Toby's face. _Bastard deserves my cold hands._ His previous girlfriends had always bitched about the bad circulation in his hands.

But that's why he had Mercer. To heat him up.

Things became a bit frenzied from there, as both of them started to demand more, wanting more skin, less clothes. Toby's breathing hitched up again, and he was glad when Mercer was doing the same thing - but this time, he wanted more. Because damn, if the last time he hadn't been down on bottom - it was Mercer's turn to go and suffer. Toby managed to direct their activities to the bedroom (and thank god the door was open, or else Toby probably would've done it right against the damn door.)

And from there, he wasn't really sure how the hell his pants and boxers came off, or how Mercer had gotten naked.

But Toby sure as well was happy when he shoved Mercer down onto the bed and noticed the look of surprise on the bastard's face. But Toby didn't want to give him any time to think - or to turn the tables. because in the next second, Toby pinned him, and pressed himself against Mercer. Alex squirmed, actually _squirmed_, and Toby's grin turned from wicked to highly amused.

"Finish it." Alex spat, cheeks flushed, breathing heavy.

"I-Impatient, are we?" Toby replied languidly, breathing somewhat choppy.

Alex started to move, grinding against him, and Toby grit his teeth against a moan that was trying to break loose.

"No. It's your turn." Toby said, teeth still gritted, and thrust into Alex with one harsh push.

Alex gasped - Toby echoed - and they both took a moment for their bodies to adjust before Toby started to move again. A slow, pleasant burn began to spread through his body, and every noise that was made only heightened the pleasure that was coursing through him. Alex was quiet, though - too quiet, and some part of Toby's mind came up with a wicked idea. His hand snaked around Alex to wrap around his member, and Alex let loose a growl.

Toby leaned down, a breathless laugh escaping him.

"I want to hear you." He said, grinning at the memory of the words. Back when Alex and he had finally given into the strange emotions between them.

"Go to h-hell." Alex gritted back, fighting just as vehemently as Toby had done. Another mirthless laugh, followed very quickly by several, hard strokes. Alex arched his back, eyes straining to close, but the man refused to let them. He was stubborn - they both were. Toby sped up, his hand moving faster, hips slamming even harder.

"C'mon, Mercer. What's the matter - speechless?" Toby said, finding his voice was barely above a whisper. Alex's teeth were gritted, but finally, _finally_, Toby won, and Alex let out a harsh yell.

Toby couldn't handle the burn ripping through him, and in a much more dignified manner, found himself gasping, eyes closing.

He groaned as he collapsed on top of Mercer, body feeling like a giant piece of rubber. He could do with a nap, he figured. A short one, before he took a shower and cleaned himself up -

"Get the hell off me," Mercer grunted, sounding just as tired as Toby. The Marine somehow managed to pry himself off of Alex and flop onto the other side of the bed with a short laugh.

If Alex was able to bitch, he knew that the events of the day hadn't stripped them of their happiness. For now. 

* * *

"Are you ready?" The low, dark voice came from the confines of the Humvee. Toby glanced at the rearview mirror to find those hard, flinty blue eyes glowing in the dark. He turned his attention to the road, and the traffic (or lack of).

"Stop asking me that." Toby snapped, growing irritable.

Alex grunted, and instantly Toby felt a small pang of guilt, but that was easily pushed aside. He couldn't function with Alex constantly asking him if he was ready. If he was absolutely sure if he wanted to go with him. He _was_, and that was the end of it. He was a damn Marine, and he could handle himself. Eyes back on the road, Toby shook his head, the familiar and comforting weight of the bulletproof helmet resting on his head. He had on a modified set of BDU's - flak jacket, combat boots, helmet, and a huge, bulletproof Humveee.

For three months, Alex had been very busy. Toby knew he had secured at least three more safe rooms, and was always busily stocking them with all manner of equipment - guns, military gear, food, medicine. . . The list went on. Toby knew it was more for his sake than Alex's. The man-turned-virus only needed to consume somebody to be back up and running. Or possibly have a doctor help him concoct some anti-viral weapon for the anti-viral weapon that had been used on him. How in the holy hell he'd acquired a Humvee, he would have no idea.

But Toby had learned early on that unless he wanted to know the truly gory details - he'd better not ask too many questions.

"You know, I could drive this thing better than you." Alex said, a smile in his voice.

Toby gripped the steering wheel harder, gloved hands creaking.

"Well, you can shove it. I'm driving, because I don't trust you to drive." He muttered, glancing in the huge blindspot to see if there was any traffic.

Manhattan had almost nothing from traffic now, as the last remaining people on the island were still mainly holed up inside of their apartments and houses. They were too afraid to come out anymore. Not that Toby blamed any of them, but god he loved not having to deal with anymore traffic. Especially since the damn island was nothing more than a confusing mass of roads and stoplights.

They were pulling up to the checkpoint Blackwatch had established roughly twelve hours ago, if their records from the Gentek communications were correct. Unbeknownst to the company, the laptop Dana had acquired to hack into Gentek's system was still very much active. Alex had taken over much of the fine hacking-and-leaving-no-trace, being as he'd consumed one of the damn smartest hackers he could ever find once. But for the most part, Toby oversaw most of the data monitoring. He'd picked up a thing or two from the techies back when he was in the Corps.

Toby stopped the Humvee, finding the blockade was right in front of him, just a couple of blocks down the street.

Toby exhaled slowly, hands clenching the steering wheel so tightly he felt like his knuckles were going to break.

"Okay," He murmured, his voice low, "I think you should. . . Okay. You do that." He trailed off as he glanced up the rearview mirror, and found the back empty. Of course, he would be gone, having already slipped out of the back and into the street, probably taking to the rooftops.

Toby looked at the blockade, and he exhaled slowly again. _Time to shove it where it hurts. _

His gun was in the seat beside him, propped up. A couple more were scattered around the floor and the back. Pressing the gas slightly, he moved the noisy Humvee forward, until a giant spotlight swiveled to its position and loudspeakers projected a voice.

"_Unknown military convoy, stop your vehicle, get out with your squad, and place all weaponry on the ground. If you do not comply with our orders, you will be killed._"

Toby stopped the car, and then he waited. It was nerve-wracking, and somehow exciting at the same time. Knowing that he was facing off against Blackwatch, and he could see them, standing behind their barricade and waiting to shoot him.

Behind the darkened bulletproof glass, Toby reached for his rifle, brought it into his lap, and made his weapon live.

Now. . . Now he had to wait.

There was a pregnant pause, and the spotlight never wavered, but still Toby waited, finger slipping through the trigger guard and flicking off the safety. He looked ahead, watching as several of the Blackwatch Black Ops soldiers moved into position to open fire on the vehicle. Toby felt his muscles tense, and a calmness began to spread over him. He had to fight, and the peace that accompanied the tension would always make sure-

He heard the first scream, and his eyes snapped to the barricade again.

Half of a man's torso went sailing through the air, and Toby knew it was time. The Marine threw open the Humvee door and he snapped his gun up to his shoulder and fired, watching one man spin as the bullets tore into his shoulder. The Blackwatch troops that had been facing Alex turned back to Toby. Bullets tore into the open door of the Humvee, which Toby was using for cover, but the Marine cursed when one of the stray shots threatened to tear into his boot.

More screams, more wet cracks and tearing muscles - and Toby took the momentary distraction Alex caused and turned it into his advantage. He shot two more of the bastards in the head, and then the battlefield was silent. Scanning the barricade one more time, Toby nodded his head, and then turned back to the Humvee. The Blackwatch scuffle had been a short one, but the fight that lied ahead was going to be much worse. Picking up several handguns, Toby slipped them inside of their holsters and picked up the other two automatics and placed them in the front seat.

Jumping back into the driver's door, Toby pulled the vehicle out of park and moved it into motion. Luckily, Alex had left the roadway somewhat clear. If he didn't mind driving over a severed arm, then they were golden. When Toby remembered just what those men had done to Marines like him, and suddenly he didn't care very much about the small bump he hit. There was another thud, on the roof, but Toby didn't stop. He and Mercer had miked up for this occasion, and Toby clicked it on.

"I think you enjoyed that a little too much." Toby said, a wry smile twisting up his lips.

Strange, that even in the falling twilight around them, that he could still smile as the headlights of the car showed him the brutality of Alex's actions. But when he remembered what Blackwatch did to civilians and soldiers like him, he really didn't feel too concerned.

"_I don't like the military._" Alex replied. Toby rolled his eyes.

"You sure as hell like the military in the bedroom." Toby replied, driving as slowly and cautiously as he dared. They were headed into an infected zone, and Toby had to stay on high alert. Blackwatch agents were suicidal, and often their blockades and checkpoints were only a mile or two from the viral zones.

So as Toby drove, he saw it. The red and purple organic tumors that had begun to cling to the city. They were rebuilding themselves again, but as Toby looked at them, high beams cutting into the dusky light, he saw that they weren't trying to coat and smother everything as they once had. They looked almost. . . Timid. Small and viny, shyly creeping along the sides of buildings and coating the sidewalks.

"This doesn't look like the last infection." Toby said, eyes roving over the road and the shopfronts. None of them were engulfed, weighed down or completely covered by biomass. They were all. . . exploring, almost.

"_They're different, every time. Likely based on the person behind each infection. It looks like Blackwatch is trying to replicate was Greene was doing, but they're failing pretty miserably at it._"

Toby had learned to hate the color red, but even as they drove deeper into the heart of the "infection" he found it still nothing more than feeble and pathetic, really. Nothing was. . . being consumed.

"_Stop here. It's close enough to the heart of the infection, and we'll be able to get samples._" Alex's voice crackled in his ear, and Toby stopped the Humvee and put it in park. Not turning it off (he was still paranoid, and it would probably be necessary for a quick getaway), he opened the door, stepped outside, and closed it.

The smell of the infection hit him, pungent and very distinct. Weak as it was, the smell of the biomass in such large quantities still did a pretty damn good job of coating the air. Toby tried to breathe through his mouth, hoping to lessen the smell, but that just resulted in him actually _tasting_ the air. Toby gagged, and then recovered. To him, it reeked of death, rotting meat, and mass quantities of blood. It had been three damn months since he'd had to take in the smell of the infection - and already he was sick of it. It brought back memories of screams, of soldiers dying in sprays of blood and desperate screams to god to save them.

"Let's get to work, Marine." Alex's voice brought him back, and Toby turned, throwing his gun up on his shoulder and adjusting the strap. Alex handed him a kit used for taking scientific samples, and he popped the lid. A lot of things marked 'sterile' and 'do not contaminate' all over it. Easy enough to understand, and before they had left, Alex had given him a rundown on how to collect samples without contaminating them.

Toby knelt down next to one of the small tendrils, and pulled on a pair of gloves and a scalpel. He began to cut into it, neatly carving away the outside so he could remove sections of it.

It was silent - absolutely quiet as the grave. And as Toby capped the first sample, he found the hairs on the back of his neck rising. He had learned to trust the instincts inside of him, and right now, those instincts were telling him they weren't alone.

He saw Alex's head snap up, as though he were hearing something that Toby couldn't. This made Toby pause, and the Marine moved slowly, reaching for the automatic that he had on his back. A tense stillness played through the air. _Calm before the storm_, a voice in the back of his mind whispered. And Toby scanned the rooftops, looking for the source of what was making him uneasy. A chill was running down his back, sweat sliding down his temples.

"Alex?" He asked, his voice barely above a murmur.

"Not now." Mercer replied, voice sounding strained, and just as quiet.

Toby swallowed against a tightness in his throat, and then he heard it. A scraping of heavy muscles over concrete and asphalt. The heavy snuffling sounds of faces with no nose. Toby's eyes widened, and fear crawled into his gut. _No. No, no, no. This infection can't be that far along. Jesus, we don't even have a tank here to crawl into. They crush Humvees like they're nothing!_ His breathing grew more shallow as he remembered what had happened the last time he'd encountered one of those muscular abominations.

Alex's blade, passing through the weakened monster easily, splashing him with red blood as he'd laid on the ground and prayed for his death to be swift.

"Hunters." He said, trying to distract himself. Alex didn't nod, didn't so much as acknowledge that he'd said anything.

"They haven't scented us, yet. No wind. Just stay still, don't make any noise. They should pass us by." Alex said a few moments later, albeit his voice was strained. Toby spared him a glance, and found his arms seemed to be growing slightly hazy, as though he were prepping for a biomass change. Toby swallowed, and continued scanning the rooftops. He prayed to god that the Hunters wouldn't scent them. He prayed, long and hard.

Maybe God wasn't listening to him, or maybe God just didn't care.

One moment it was silent, and then the Hunter appeared at the edge of a close building, head swiveling, something from the great beast drawing in air, and its head turned to Alex. Then it snarled, and uttered the most horrific sound Toby had heard. Their howls and screams had always made his fear turn to ice in his gut, and this time was no exception. Testing kits forgotten, Toby turned the automatic on the beast and opened fire as Alex rippled, and his arms split apart to form deadly claws.

The Hunter leaped, gigantic body taking it from the roof to the street, but Alex was running too, a blur of speed, and the pair of them met head-on with a bone shattering crack. Toby did his best to avoid hitting Alex, but quickly found he shouldn't have bothered.

Because five more Hunters quickly leaped into the fray.

Shock stopped his heart cold as the beasts growled and hit, snarling and viciously attacking Mercer in their little herd. Toby didn't have a rocket launcher - which was what brought the Hunters down, most commonly. Or a tank. Toby had to stifle the impulse to run over to the Humvee. It wasn't strong or durable as a tank, and although it's engine was still on, and he could drive it -

A single Hunter could tear apart in seconds. As Toby watched, awestruck, he found he had suddenly turned invisible. Shaking his head, he pressed his gun into his shoulder and emptied the rest of the clip into the nearest of the monsters. It howled in pain as he actually managed to land a few lead pieces into its spine, and turned to him. Toby was the quickest reloader in the land as he ejected the spent cartridge and slapped another one in.

Gritting his teeth, Toby let loose another clip, this time aiming at its head. It began to thrash around, as a few of the bullets actually pierced the skull and hurt the brain of the creature, but it wasn't enough to kill it. It let loose a scream of rage, and came barreling towards him. Toby's body moved without him actually thinking, and he dove to the side as it rushed past him, stinking of rotting meat and blood, and smashed right into the Humvee. The Marine stifled a strange laugh that was building up in his chest. _That happened so much last time. _Months ago, when the regular military had been attempting to eliminate the infection, the Hunters had wracked up quite the bill when it came to destroyed military equipment.

There came the harsh crack and crunch of metal as the Humvee was reduced to nothing more than an overweight coke can.

Toby spared a glance at Mercer, and found he was sprinting down the street, and the Hunters were following him - leaving him the Hunter he had miraculously injured. The beast turned around, sightless face locking onto him, lips pulling back to snarl. Razor sharp teeth gleamed, wet with red-tinted saliva. Toby stood there, shock rooting him in place - and suddenly he found a voice in his mind taking on the countenance of Mark. __

Run, Toby!

So Toby did. He turned and ran, fast and hard, sprinting down the street as quickly as he could go. The air pumped in and out of his lungs like billows, and all of the equipment he was wearing was bogging him down. Toby heard the Hunter coming after him, its progress slower than normal, hindered by the fact that he'd punched a couple of holes into its head. Sweat was running down his face then, and his heart was beating so wildly he thought it was going to explode.

It was gaining on him now, the noise he was generating was enough for the beast to track him. Toby looked around, finding alleys and larger streets, and he turned into one, and then another, and finally one more - he paused when he realized he had succeeded in losing his pursuer. Breathing heavily, Toby moved onwards, gun up on his shoulder, scanning the streets. He may have been able to ditch the Hunter by taking a few sharp turns, but doubtless it would be back.

"Jesus Christ." He muttered, popping out onto another avenue.

It was clear.

Coming out of the alley, Toby skirted to the side of the building, planning on making a large circle and then doubling back to his wrecked Humvee. It was a long shot, but maybe the radio would still be intact, or Alex would have sufficient time to get the Hunters off of their backs.

Something skittered across the rooftops, and Toby turned his back as he continued to walk, licking his dry lips. Had it gotten onto the rooftops already? Was it playing games with him - acting injured? Or were they a hell of a lot smarter than they were before? Had it suddenly turned into a freak-

He hit something, and it sprawled out on the ground with an undignified 'ouch!'. Toby whirled around, gun coming to train on the Hunter. Only it wasn't. And it wasn't a Walker, either, or any other kind of infected.

It was a _girl_.

It took a second for Toby's mind to process that, but he stared at her, gun wavering in his hands. She was wearing some kind of a black hoodie, the hood down, dark tan pants, and she looked hurt. Hurt, confused, and scared. Messy blond hair fell around her shoulders, and her right eye was covered in a bandage that wrapped around her head, but her left eye stared at him in fear. It was a deep shade of babydoll blue, and it took a second for Toby to actually gain his wits about him.

"I'm sorry," He said, tersely, voice gravelly, "I didn't mean to scare you. I was. . . Running."

_Oh, yeah. What a perfect way to ease the fact that you almost shot a civilian. _

He switched the gun to his left hand and offered her his right, to help her stand. That single blue eye stared at him, blinking slowly, filled with unease. Trying to configure his expression into one of calm, Toby offered her a small smile.

"It's okay. I'm a soldier. I'm not going to hurt you - but we have to go. The infected are coming."

When she still didn't take his hand, he classified her as in shock. He reached down for her hand, and grabbed at it. She let loose a startled squeal, followed by a desperate jerking, as she tried to rip her hand from his, but Toby hefted her up to her feet, about to hiss at her to stop, her noise was going to attract the Hunter. . . but she already had. The fear in her eyes eased, suddenly turning to awe.

"Come on. Quick. We have to go - I'll get you to safety, okay? Just stay quiet." Toby said urgently, resigning himself to having to care for her. He honestly had no idea how she had gotten in the infected zone, or how she'd survived for as long as she had, but he couldn't let her die. It went against everything he had been brought up to believe in, what the military had trained him for.

Toby had a soft spot for women (not that he'd ever actually admit it), and she as just some stupid kid who had happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. He started to pull her, tugging her in the direction he'd come from, and found she followed, that awe still in her eyes.

"You're. . . Touching me." She said, almost reverently. Toby hoped she really was just in shock.

He didn't answer, too afraid of what other crazy things she might say in her shock-induced stupor. Not to mention the statement just seemed off the wall to the Marine.

"Does it hurt?" She asked him, prompting Toby to look back at her. That single blue eye was still staring at him, although it was now filled with a strange kind of hope. Toby shook his head, and went back to scanning the buildings.

"Come on, focus on running. I'll get you out of here, okay?" He said, trying to keep his voice level. _We come here just for samples, and suddenly are attacked by a group of Hunters. I'm pretty certain I'm getting stalked by one, and the kid's in shock. What else can go wrong? _

As soon as he thought it, the screech of a Hunter split the air. Toby spun around, throwing the girl behind him and lifting the automatic up to shoot from his hip. Luckily the Hunter was hanging out on the roof of another building, and he jerked the gun up to meet it. The infected heard the sound of the gun firing, and it leaped cleanly out of the way, landing with a heavy thud in the street and charging straight for them. Toby felt his throat run dry, but he released the girl's hand and shoved her - hard.

"RUN!" He barked at her, nearly screaming, hoping to scare some of the damn shock out of her. If she could get past Blackwatch, and back to the main part of the city, she'd be safer-

The Hunter hit him, dead on, with such force that his gun went flying out of his grip and hitting the asphalt like a piece of useless plastic. Toby grit his teeth as he fell onto the unrelenting ground, skidding a few feet before he came to a stop. A bit dazed, the Marine reached around for the other automatic he had strapped to his back. But the Hunter was on him, and its hands were tearing at his backside. Toby let loose a scream of pain as his flak jacket was ripped to shreds, and large gashes opened up on his back.

His hand dove for one of the holsters on his thigh, and he turned over onto his back to shoot up at the creature, but even as he was kicking away, trying to get out from underneath it, its head came down, and strong, powerful jaws snapped at his ribs.

Toby gasped, the pain instantly hitting his systems like a sledgehammer, but there wasn't any time for him to thrash, to try to escape. It bit down, harder still, muscled arms holding him down as it - oh god. It was chewing on him, it was _eating_ _him!_ The scream that came from Toby was nothing shot of inhuman. The agony that was assaulting his systems was too much, too hard to take all at once. The Hunter stopped, teeth sliding out of him, as though it had tasted something rather unpleasant. A giant hand hit Toby, and the Marine found his dazed body sailing through the air.

_This is how it must feel in a car wreck_.

To be ejected through the windshield, flying through the air, time slowing down around you -

He was so far gone, he didn't feel his body hitting the pavement. Didn't hear the sound of his left arm snapping, the bone unable to bear the pressure of his body smacking into the asphalt. He bounced, and then rolled to a stop, adrenalin coursing through his veins, numbing the pain. The world around him darkened, and Toby swallowed. He could taste blood in his mouth, could feel it spreading from the gigantic bite wound on his side.

Could see it covering his hands.

His eyes started to close against his will, his body desperately fighting to stay alive and awake. He just felt. . . So. . . Damn tired.

Then he saw a halo. A beautiful halo, illuminated by a streetlight. A tired smile tugged on his lips as he saw the angelic blond that knelt before him, crystals shining in her eyes and dripping off of her cheeks. Toby wanted to tell the angel not to cry. That he was really a coldhearted bastard and he didn't deserve and angel's tears. But he was too tired.

His eyes closed, and darkness finally claimed him, the sound of the angel's crying voice lulling him into the void.


	5. In The Web

**Disclaimer**: I do not own any part of the Prototype universe. All characters are property of those who own Prototype. If anybody tries to gain money off of this franchise - be forewarned. Alex Mercer _will _find you, and you may find yourself sharing the fate of Karen Parker.

* * *

**Title**: Infectum.

**Summary**: The infection is surging again. Toby Knight must try to uncover the source of the viral flare - but between being an ex-Marine, fighting Blackwatch forces, and trying to keep a man-turned-virus calm. . . Life isn't easy anymore. Slight AU.

**Rating:** M. Finally upgraded it!

**Author's Notes: **Da-da-da-daaaahhh! Here is another chapter of Infectum. Long and long, just the way I like to write 'em. (Ba dum tiss). Bad puns and jokes aside that only I'll seem to get, I'd like to apologize for the length of time it took to publish this bad boy. When I wasn't working, I was at college, when I wasn't at college, I was at home, and when I was at home, I was roleplaying or trying to get my PS3 back from my brother. My beta - Ducky - is also now also busy with her school studies. So updates may be somewhat slow for a while, but I have not forgotten about this story!

I'd also like to say, if you see any mistakes, please feel free to point them out. I appreciate it. This particular chapter was drafted _three _times before I finally got to rewriting it, and then rewriting it again. It is possible I may have missed some things, and my spellchecker too. But I digress.

**Warnings: **This chapter contains some naughty words. Also, it has some brief action involving pain (and lots of it).

* * *

Leanin' over you here,  
Cold and catatonic.  
I catch a brief reflection  
Of what you could and might have been  
It's your right and your ability  
To become my perfect enemy.

"Passive" - A Perfect Circle

* * *

Toby realized he was flying through the air.

It was absurd, really, because the air was hazy, red, and saturated with his pain. The world reflected through it was foggy and blurry at best, and heavily saturated with that goddamn red color. _I hate that color_, he thought, the voice of himself sounding strange in his mind, _I really do._ His eyes opened and closed weakly, and moments of consciousness were sporadic at best. He'd be awake in that flying moment one moment, and then fast asleep the next.

He truly had no control over his body, but somehow, he felt like he was moving through the blur. He was jolted, and it hurt every time a shock rocked through him, but it felt. . . Nice. To be hovering around like he was, and he didn't have to worry about running away from the monsters anymore. He could be just like Alex, and literally _fly _to wherever the hell he wanted to go.

_You're going crazy_, another voice in his mind said, sounding just like Mark, _from blood loss. Shock. If you don't wake up, bro, you're gonna die._

He wanted to laugh at Mark's voice. He wasn't dying. Pain accompanied death. What was happening to him was not pain, just discomfort. He was still very much alive, he was certain.

The darkness lifted, and consciousness returned, semi-lucidity following in short order.

_You're not as strong as Mercer_, Mark-voice said again, _you won't be able to survive an injury like this without help._

_I'm not going to die, Mark_, Toby thought back gently, trying to soothe his brother's voice, _just because that creature had. . . _Had what? Toby tried to remember, but when he did, all he got was a strong notion of agony, followed by the sound of wet muscle ripping from his body. . .

A cold pressure built against his back, and the feeling of hovering erased itself. He'd stopped flying, he realized, and the world was standing still. The cold underneath him helped to clear away some of the red fog that surrounded him.

_Toby. . . I really don't want you to die._ Mark-voice spoke again, sounding desperate.

Toby sighed in his mind, _how many times have I told you? I'm not going to die. So stop worrying. _

"_Hold him._" Another voice spoke, quiet, but full of authority. This voice did not belong inside of his head, and a sharp pang of familiarity moved through the Marine. But try as he might, Toby just couldn't place where he'd heard it.

Hot brands laid over his cold skin, and he recoiled, trying to tug his arms free. A sound echoed in the space around him, a pathetic whimpering.

"_Shhh,_" The feminine voice said again, "_It's going to be alright. I swear._"

_It's hot. Too hot. It's burning me, stop, please_-

_Toby, you've got to escape from here. Please. You're a Marine, don't go out like this. _Mark-voice was pleading with him now, sounding not at all like his brother. It was desperate, worried. Nearly frantic.

His brother asked him to, so Toby tried. He really did. But it felt like the hot brands were burning into his flesh, leaving his skin raw. Try as he might, the manacles remained heavy and unmovable, keeping his body pinned to the cold floor. Hands suddenly brushed over his face, and Toby strained his head to them, but an annoyed growl stopped him. A strong wave of fear washed through him, because he knew that noise, knew the sightless face attached to it. . .

"_Be _quiet. _This is all _your _fault in the first place!_" The voice snapped again, at the growl. It was silenced instantly, and Toby decided he liked that voice. It was young, girly. She sounded pretty.

Another set of white-hot brands laid over his feet, covering most of ankles and calves. Claustrophobia sprang to life almost instantly, and he tried again to free himself. When his struggles bore no fruit, he laid there, quivering from head to toe. He was terrified.

_Mark, I'm scared. _He spoke again into his mind, swallowing against the thick lump building in his throat, the fear that was flooding through him.

_It's okay, Toby. It'll be over soon. You tried your best. You really did. _Mark-voice said again, although this time it sounded so resigned and lonely. . .

Joining his brother? Toby would be okay with that. He would be able to hug Mark again and tell him he was sorry for letting him die, and god, he loved him so damn much-

Warm hands settled against his cheeks, stroking the sking there.

_Alex? _He thought, turning his attention away from the Mark-voice.

It was Alex. That unmistakable heat was seeping through his cold skin, warming him. A pitiful moan dredged up from somewhere within his chest, and Toby tried to get closer to the contact. If Alex were there, that would mean he would be able to die in peace. Somebody in the world would know how he died, and he would not be forgotten. Alex was there to send him off, and for some reason, that made Toby's chest feel tight with emotion. Because he meant more to Mercer than he'd imagined.

"_Shhh, shhh. It's going to be okay. I'm going to take care of you now, because I won't let you die. But you have to fight. Do you understand what I'm saying? You have to _fight."

That was not Alex. Reeling back from the contact, Toby again sought refuge in his mind, trying to make sense of those words. He was confused. What did that girly voice mean-

An itch flared to life in his right side, and it quickly developed into a burning. It felt as though somebody were shoving hot coals into a gaping wound. So Toby screamed. He screamed long and hard, unashamed of the pain and the pitch.

_Ithurtsithurtsithurts, Mark, God, please stop it, it's hurting so bad, pleasepleaseplease._

Fingers were inside of him know, under his skin and scratching as his body, as if searching for something. Hot tears ran freely from his eyes, and Toby was uncertain of how much more of it he could take. With every second that passed by, it felt like his heart was beating faster and faster, getting ready to explode inside of his chest. Toby bucked and thrashed, but the shackles kept him rooted firmly in place. That pain flooded his body, and the brands forced him to endure it.

The burning that flooded his body made his blood boil, and he felt his heart beginning to stutter, unable to bear the strain. His entire body was shaking forcefully, and blood was in his mouth, strong and tasting of a hundred copper pennies. . .

_This is it. I'm going to die, right here. Right now. _

_We can be together, Toby, _Mark-voice said soothingly, _it won't be so bad._

Toby could see his comrades before him. Everybody from his past life, screaming in much the same way he was, dying in heavy splashes of red -

The burning stopped, and the invasive fingers retreated.

Toby couldn't feel anything at all as his mind sank into the black again, finally giving him the reprieve he needed.

* * *

"_You're doing a lot better now,_" The voice said quietly, brushing his cheek with a single stroke, "_I'm so glad._"

Toby's eyes snapped open, his left hand coming up to grab the wrist of the person that was touching him. A soldier's reflex, one the Marines had ingrained into his brain. Injure first, question later. But his hands met empty air, and there was no woman kneeling next to him. He groaned as he lowered his hand back down to his side, because, _Jesus Christ and Mary, _it felt like he was having the world's worst cramp, right in his side.

He'd had some girlfriends, way back when, back before he'd joined the service. He'd watched them go through That Time Of The Month, how they had curled into little balls and moaned while holding their abdomen.

Well, Toby sent them his sympathies.

He blinked, realizing his vision was somewhat blurry, but it was definitely workable, and he turned his attention to his abdomen.

His BDU's had been torn to shreds, and soaked through with blood. For a moment, Toby laid there in shock, before the memories swarmed through him and reminded him just what had happened.

"Oh god." He said, his voice cracking, barely above a whisper. He remembered. All of it. The Hunter that had attacked him had bitten down through all of his gear, and then it had shaken him around before discarding him like some play toy on the street. He could still feel it, too, the sharp teeth that had punctured his body, the horrid sound of his own muscles tearing away from him. . .

Trembling hands reached down, hesitantly lifting up the tattered remains of the tac vest and his shirt.

What he saw made his heart stop and it scared the holy living _shit _out of him.

He still had his skin, covering the muscles he'd worked so hard for in his life. Scars marked him here and there, some old, new, small, and large. Heavy bruises covered most of his chest, already growing a glaring shade of purple. But there, on his right side, laid some kind of. . . Of pulsating tumor.

The spot the Hunter had chewed up was gone, no doubt about it. But there, where the sharp, stinging pain was originating, his body had somehow regenerated itself. He lifted a hand to gently touch it, and found that. . . It felt like skin. Kind of. If he didn't feel it for too long, and ignored the gentle pulsing that seemed to echo from deep inside of the red mass. An unholy itch began to grow, followed shortly by that same terrifying burn he vaguely remembered from his half-dead stupor.

Not only that, but as he watched, the mass seemed to writhe and move against his skin.

And that was enough of that.

Breathing in deeply to try and calm himself, Toby dropped his tac vest back into place. There was nothing he could do about it now. When he got back to Alex and Ragland, they might be able to take a closer look at whatever the hell was growing on his side, but until then, he had to just work on getting back to them. Toby didn't have to be a field medic to know that she should have died. No human would ever have been able to suffer that serious an injury and live to tell the tale.

Shaking his head, Toby grit his teeth against the pain and came to stand on his feet. He swayed drunkenly, the world around him spinning, but slowly - it came back into focus. If he kept a hand out on the soft wall beside him to steady himself, he should be alright. He could do this.

Wait.

Soft?

Turning his head, Toby looked to the side of him to discover the wall was covered in the same red biomass that had coated the new infected sector of the city. The smell that coated the air was strong, and enough to make his stomach roil. The stench of rotting meat and the strange, twisted smell of ozone permeated the air. Fear began to curl inside of him, coiling tighter than a spring. He looked around himself, finding the other walls were coated in the same heavy biomass growths. The air inside of the building he was in was tinged red, as though the infection was so strong, it could taint the air as well.

But it could.

Oh.

_Oh, fuck._

He was inside of a Hive. The mere thought of it had his skin crawling, and his hand snapping down to his thigh. By some miracle, the gun holster he'd strapped there earlier was still there. And even better, there was still a handgun inside of it, too. Toby breathed a minute sigh of relief as he felt the comforting weight of a fully-loaded handgun in his palm. He could defend himself, even if only slightly. Some small voice in the back of his mind was going _ohshitohshitohshitohshit_, but he shoved it into a locked room and told it to shut the fuck up.

He was currently inside of a Hive. He had only a handgun for protection. He was injured to the point of barely being able to stand, and he had absolutely no clue were Alex Mercer was. If he ran into a couple dozen Walkers, all of his ammo would be gone. If he ran into a single Hunter. . . Well, he was fucked. But he did have one advantage in the situation, and that was he was a _Marine. _He did more with less. He refused to let the world take him by the throat.

He hadn't lived through the first infection to see himself die without a fight.

So Toby swallowed against a thick lump building in the back of his throat, and began to make his way forward. His progress was slow, and it pained him more than anything, but he was almost silent. His heart was beating heavily inside of his chest, and cold sweat popped over his skin. Every step he took felt like a challenge, but he simply grit his teeth and bore the pain. He had to escape the Hive, and get back to Alex. _Before _anything found him. Who the hell knew what other terrors lurked inside of the damn Hive.

As much as he wanted to, he resisted the need to assuage the pain building on his side. He so badly wanted to hold onto that patch of biomass to keep it from hurting. But he couldn't - because that would mean dropping his guard. He kept both hands firmly locked onto his gun, and he ignored that itching and burning. As he made his way through the sprawling complex that had once been an office building of some kind, he prayed to everything that and holy and good in the world that he would make it out of the Hive alive, and undetected.

Coming to a door that was open, he stepped through it, hoping it would lead him to a staircase - and then he stopped. Shock bolted through Toby, and he stood there like an idiot as he stared at the scene before him.

The girl - the same girl he'd bumped into earlier - was sitting on the floor, knees drawn up to her chest, arms holding them close. She rocked slightly, back and forth, hiccuping and crying softly to herself. _Holy shit_, Toby's mind raced, _did the Hunters take her captive too_? He had the impulse to holster his gun as to not scare her, but he pushed it aside. Even if his puny handgun could do nothing against Hunters, it could take down a couple of Walkers. It was protection to Toby, plain and simple. If he put it away and was suddenly attacked, he would be caught with his damn pants down. Swallowing a bit to wet his dry throat, Toby couldn't believe the kid's luck. This was twice she'd managed to avoid death. Twice he'd be able to try and get her the fuck out of there.

"Hey," Toby said, quietly, calmly, "Are you hurt?"

He had absolutely no idea how to handle scared kids. He was used to battle-hardened Marines. At least when they snapped, all he had to do was say, '_get a grip, soldier. Pick up your damn gun and keep shooting._' And they would. They were trained to do it. A kid, on the other hand. . .

She hiccuped, and her head whipped around to face him. Her hood was drawn up around her face, shadowing her eyes from view. But her mouth dropped open at the sight of him, and for a moment she just sat there, before she scrambled up to her feet. Toby was about to shake his head and tell her no, don't run, you'll die, but she didn't run away from him. She ran towards him, skidding to a halt in front of him. He flinched backwards momentarily, afraid she would try to hug him, but she didn't. Both of her hands came out to latch onto his arms - almost as though she knew he was hurt.

"I was so s-scared," She muttered, body wracked with quiet sobs, "That you w-were dead. But. . ." She trailed off, her hands wringing her hoodie sleeves as her words dissolved into hiccups.

Toby shook his head, trying to clear the fog that was building there. They had to escape from the Hive. They didn't have time for her to have a breakdown. She had to suck it up. Placing his free hand on her shoulder, Toby did his best to be reassuring. But it was hard to keep the pain out of his expression - he knew he wouldn't last much longer unless he got back to Alex.

"We have to go now," He said shortly, "I'll get us out of here. Stay quiet, and stay close, okay?"

She looked up at him, releasing his arms and stepping back.

"No, we could stay here. You'd be safe! Please, I don't want to lose you." Her words were tinged with desperation, and she pushed back her hood as she said it. Toby had to shake a strong feeling of deja vu at hearing those words.

Her eye was bloodshot and a dark red, a sign that she had been crying for quite a long time. The other bandaged eye was now dirty, the pristine white covered with blood and grime. _Just how long was I in here?_He thought absently, and then shook his head mentally. He had to focus.

"We can't. There are Infected running around. The monsters. They'll kill us," He explained, reaching forward to grab her hand, "I can get us somewhere safe, okay? Trust me."

That same look of utter awe crossed her face, and for a moment, the tears and the sobs stopped. She just stared at him, holding her hand, and for the first time, Toby looked down.

And his heart stopped cold for the millionth time that day.

The hand he was holding was red. A dark red, and covered with spots of purple and black. It was like she'd been the victim of some horrible burn, but her skin wasn't scabbed. _Did somebody beat her?_He looked back at her face for any signs of pain, but. . . There was bliss. A mixture of relief, awe, and happiness all blended into one expression. She started to cry again.

"You're the only one. . . Who can touch me." She said, looking up at him with a smile.

It clicked then, the cogs in Toby's mind finally connecting. Toby dropped her hand like it had burned him, and took a few staggering steps away from her. Her face dropped, a worried frown tugging at her lips. But Toby lifted the handgun, aiming it right at her. His heart was pounding even faster, the cold sweat developing chills, and his side was itching and hurting like a motherfucker. But this. . . This was something he had to deal with.

"Who the hell are you?" He snapped, eyes narrowing.

He'd found her in the Infected zone, wandering around. Now she was inside of a Hive with him, claiming they'd be safe from all of the monsters. Her arms were dyed red and black. _The infection is restarting itself. . . _Ragland's voice echoed from his mind.

The girl looked hurt, and flinched back.

"Don't. Please. I'm sorry, I won't touch you again, I'll be good."

Jesus Christ. It looked like he was aiming his gun at the heart of some scared teenager, one that looked like he had just slapped her across the face. It was enough to tug at his heart - but not enough to make him drop his guard. He needed answers, and he knew this girl had them.

"Who. Are. You?" He repeated, steel coating his voice, even though his insides were knotting. He didn't want to shoot her. He really didn't.

But if she was another Elizabeth Greene. . .

"Keres," She said, her voice shaking, "The name they gave me. It's Keres."

"They?" He echoed, gun wavering slightly as his vision clouded. _Goddamnit_.

"Blackwatch." She whispered, the name seeming to evoke noting but fear in her.

Toby pushed aside his thoughts of empathy. He had to deal with the situation in the present, first.

"Why are you doing this? Why are you infecting people?"

"I'm not!" She protested, taking another step away from him, "I swear I'm not. I just walk around here. That's all. I haven't done anything. I just don't want you to die. Please. Stop."

Toby bit the inside of his cheek - pretty damn hard. He closed his eyes for a fraction of a second, letting his soldier's intuition guide him. He hadn't been a Marine all of these years for nothing - he had skills. Once a Marine, always a Marine.

There was no prickle of hair on the nape of his neck, nor was there any kind of alarm bell ringing in the back of his mind. Sure, he was in the middle of an active Hive, but the creator of that Hive was standing right in front of him. Opening his eyes again, he found that she was still standing there, shaking like a leaf and staring at him, waiting. She hadn't made a move towards him, hadn't begun to use any of the powers she undoubtedly had. What she was saying made absolutely no sense, but she seemed too emotionally distraught to be lying to him. Still, Toby had his doubts.

Toby lowered the gun he held slowly, eyes watching her for any sign of movement. She made none, other than to nervously look at the gun as he lowered it to his side.

"Alright," He said, voice terse, "I want answers. Understand?"

His side was throbbing again, and he placed a hand there unconsciously, trying to calm the pain. In a way, it didn't really matter. She could murder him in seconds if she truly felt the need to. But she hadn't. Hence why he was currently standing before her.

She bit her lip, worrying it through her teeth, and after a beat, nodded her head.

"O-okay." She said, taking another step away from him, placing a little more distance between them. Toby didn't mind that in the slightest.

"Why did you attack us?" Toby asked, the first of many questions glad to be free from his thoughts.

Keres fiddled with her fingers, the dark red and black splotches very disconcerting to look at.

"I didn't. I told them not to - my Kin, I mean. I was just walking around, and they stay with me. They protect me, and they smelled something funny - another, a much stronger Kin, somebody we did not know. You just happened to be there when they attacked him."

Toby stared at her, licking his dry lips briefly. He was fairly certain that she was telling the truth, but it was pretty hard to determine - considering that she was an infected individual, just like Greene. He had to take this from every possible angle. A hot flash of pain wove through him, and Toby found a crazy thought coming to his mind. Biomass was covering his side, clinging to his skin and hurting like nothing he'd ever felt before. . . And here was a certain infected individual, blabbering about how she hadn't wanted him to die. She'd been there when he was attacked.

"Did you. . . Do this to me?" He asked, lifting up his shirt briefly to reveal the red growth on his side.

Her eyes darted to it and then back up to her face, a look of pain crossing her face.

"I did it to save you," She said quietly, "You were dying. Bleeding badly. I didn't want to lose you. . . I'm sorry. I know it hurt, and it was my fault, but I'm so sorry. . ." She broke down into tears again, soft hiccups leaving her as she brought a sleeve up to scrub at her eyes.

More of her words clicked through his tired brain, and as much as Toby just wanted to lie down, curl up and take a long, dead-to-the-world sleep, he knew he couldn't. He had to get out and find Alex. Get to Ragland, heal up. That was the important - he couldn't go to sleep.

"You've said that a few times now. . . What do you mean, 'don't want me to die'? I'm just a Marine. I don't mean anything to you."

She bit her lip, then, and looked down at her hands.

"When I touch people, they just. . . Explode. They turn into Kin, then. I try my best to control it, but I can't. I didn't mean to make the Hive, either. A man grabbed my hand before I could stop him. You're the first person I've ever touched that doesn't turn into Kin. I didn't want to lose you. Because you can touch me." She started to cry again, Toby stared at her, unsure if he should feel any shred of empathy or pity for her. He did know he was sick of hearing her cry. She really needed to get a cap on her emotions.

If she was telling the truth. . . Toby sighed, rubbing at his temples. He had a serious migraine kicking in, and he could do with a lot of high-grade painkillers. He knew which doctor he'd be calling to get some, too.

"Alright," Toby finally said, breaking the silence, "I'll tell you what. Make up the whole mess to me by getting me the fuck out of the Hive."

She looked up at him sharply, wringing her hands together nervously, tears still streaking over her cheeks.

"But what if you d-die? I don't think I can save you again. . ."

His fucking mortality. He was so sick of being reminded that beings like Alex existed: completely capable of getting their arms and legs ripped off, and simply regrowing them. While he only had to fall from a height of twenty feet to go ahead and break a couple of bones. Or if he got shot with a simple bullet, he could easily die. Alex had none of these problems. Grinding his teeth together, Toby shot an annoyed glare at the girl, and she instantly shut up.

"I don't give a damn. Just get me the hell out of here. I have people I need to get back to."

For a moment, the blonde-haired girl looked like she would fight him again, but the light died out of her eyes, and she relented.

"Okay." She said, turning and gesturing to the room behind her.

There was a door there, taken off of its hinges by red tendrils, but it was open and led to a hallway beyond. Toby followed her in silence, the pain growing with every step. More than once he wanted to stop, drop to his knees, and start tearing at the tumor on his side. But he resisted the impulse, knowing that, even if it _had _been her fault, she had saved his life. As disgusting as it was to feel that gentle beating against his side, that piece of biomass was the only thing keeping him from bleeding out in the street.

She led him down a set of stairs (_holy motherfucking Jesus Christ this hurts_), and then they were on the bottom floor. Most of it had been obliterated by the infection, and they walked over uneven concrete and rubble. But she took him to a door, pushed it open, and a blast of (somewhat) fresh air hit the both of them. She walked outside with him, and Toby followed, hairs on the back of his neck prickling. There was danger surrounding the both of them. Everywhere. The infected here hiding, Walkers and Hunters eying him carefully, he just knew it. His eyes scanned the deserted street, twitching on the trigger of his gun.

"I won't let it happen again," She said, her voice startling him, "If any of them come near you, I told them I would rip them apart myself." Despite the fact that she had been crying not but five minutes earlier, the vehemence in her tone surprised Toby. There was a glint in her eyes, too, one that reminded him very much of Alex.

"Glad to know." The Marine grumbled, fighting the overwhelming urge to press his hand to his side. There was a nasty throb beginning to develop there, and honestly, he doubted if he could keep standing or walking much longer.

The Marines might have trained him to get back on his feet and fight, but nothing prepared him for dealing with the Infected.

They continued to walk in silence, Toby lagging behind Keres, her out in front, keeping a vigil for the infected. Right now, it seemed she was his golden ticket out of there. If he didn't want to have a nasty run-in with a Hunter again, he would have to rely on her. She stopped, suddenly, in the middle of the street they had been walking on. Quirking her head slightly, she turned and faced Toby - no, the Marine noticed, she was looking behind him. Up. Her eyes were looking up.

"What's wrong?" He found himself asking, raising the gun slightly. The hairs on the back of his neck had begun to prickle, his gut tying itself into a knot.

_Something wicked this way comes. _

"I don't. . . Know. My Kin, the big ones, I can't smell any of them anymore. . . And there's something else, too. It smells like one of my Kin - but it's mad. Really mad."

She stood there, gazing off into the distance, eyes squinted slightly, and then she let out a squeak of fear. She turned, running away from Toby - right as a black blur rushed past the Marine, heading straight for her. The streak collided with Keres, taking her down to the ground, none-too-gently.

Toby felt the biggest surge of relief he'd ever felt in his life as he realized it was Mercer. A very pissed-off Mercer, but the man-turned-virus was there nonetheless. Alex's hood had been pushed back in the confrontation, revealing a very rare shot of the man's face. There was a vicious snarl tearing past his lips, his eyes were flashing a damn bright _white_, and he was punching the living shit out of Keres. He was covered in blood, too, giving Alex one of the most terrifying countenances Toby had ever seen.

Keres tried to cry out, raising her hands to defend herself, but it was no use. Alex was too far gone, too pissed off. _He's going to kill her_, Toby thought, rushing forward (_more like hobbling_), trying to stop what was happening. Jesus Christ, did the idiot not think? If Alex hurt her, he just might as well ring the distress bell. And _all _the Hunters and Walkers would come rushing in to save her.

Toby didn't think he could stand getting munched on a second time.

"Alex!" He cried out breathlessly, "Wait! Stop!"

Keres gathered her feet underneath her, where Alex was in the process of trying to consume her, and kicked him. Mercer was effectively dislodged, and Keres scrambled back up to her feet. The bandages covering her eye had fallen off, revealing both of her eyes. She didn't have an empty socket, or recent injury. The scars on the right side of her face spanned from her cheek to her eyebrow, and the eye settled there was a bloody, glaring red.

"I don't want to fight!" She said, through bloody lips. Or what was left of her lips. Alex had done quite a number on her face - it was hardly recognizable anymore.

"Go to hell!" Mercer said, arms mutating - and _snap_. Out came the blade.

_Jesus Christ!_

Alex sprang forward, slashing out in a blur at the girl. She squeaked in surprise again, before Mercer cut her, hitting her right in the stomach. A splash of blood streaked the air, but it was more black than red. Keres let out a strangled yell of pain, and Toby realized if he didn't do _something_, she was going to die. Bringing the gun up to shoulder-level, Toby took a steadying breath, let it out slowly - and pulled the trigger.

The bullet hit the ground right near Alex's feet, but the man hadn't even noticed. Toby growled under his breath, and changed his aim. He pulled the trigger a second time, hitting the hard surface of the blade. It would take more than a simple bullet to harm it, Toby knew, which was why Alex often used it as his second shield.

The gunshot had the desired effect, however. Alex turned his head towards him, blue eyes still that eerie shade of washed-out white, his breathing somewhat heavy.

"_What?_" He snarled, his tone and voice enough to make any soldier piss his pants and run away crying. But not Toby.

He was too pissed in his own mind to care.

"Back the fuck off, Mercer." Toby said slowly, his tone just as pissed. He kept the gun raised, to enforce the point of his seriousness.

Not just _any _man shot at Alex Mercer and lived.

Toby hoped he was just one of those men.

"If I don't do this, she'll start infecting the rest of the city. She'll be just like Elizabeth Greene!"

"Alex, you fucking idiot, if you try to kill her now, you'll be ringing the dinner bell!"

Alex's eyes flashed, and he _snarled_, like some kind wild animal. In a lot of ways, he probably was. Alex Mercer was no longer human. He was a walking, talking virus. A very hard virus to reason with when he was in a bad mood.

"Alex, just _listen _to me. You can't save us both if ten or fifteen hunters come running at us, not to mention with Walker backup. . . And you've seen it, too. This infection isn't like Greene's. She's not doing it on purpose. She can't control it."

Alex glared at Toby, but with every passing moment, his eyes grew a deeper shade of blue. Sense was beginning to return to the man, little by little. Biomass whirled around his arm, the blade sinking back into the depths of Mercer's body. Toby lowered the gun, and Alex stalked over to him, eyes narrowing.

"You're infected." Alex said quietly, and Toby sighed.

He lifted up his shirt, revealing the biomass on his side, and instantly Mercer's eyes snapped to the red growth.

"When we got separated, a Hunter grabbed me. I don't know why, but she saved me, Alex. Greene wouldn't have done that. Greene would have let me die. So instead of just trying to consume her, why don't we try the old-fashioned way and ask her what the hell she's doing here." He snapped back, feeling very irritable in that moment. He figured, in retrospect, he had every right to.

Alex was silent for a moment, eyes locked onto the biomass, and then he turned back to Keres.

". . . We need her." Alex said suddenly, stalking back over to the wounded - and unconscious - girl and picking her up with ease. He didn't look very happy about it (actually looked kind of disgusted as her blood dribbled onto his coat), but he turned back to Toby. Who was suddenly very confused.

"What? I'm sorry, but five seconds ago I was trying to convince you just not to kill her. Now you're saying we need her?"

Alex looked at him like he was an idiot, and that made Toby grind his teeth together. He hated it when people treated him like a damn child. He was a grown man, and had no need for coddling. The Marines had taken that right out of him.

"You're infected," Alex said slowly, "And you're immune to the infection. Which means either you're going to turn, or what she did to save you is only temporary."

For a second, Toby truly didn't understand. His brain had been fried from trying to figure out all of the puzzle pieces too many times. But then the gears in his mind clicked together again, and he looked down at his side, where that gentle pulsating continued against his skin.

Horror coursed through him. Alex was right.

His blood had been weaponized, once upon a time, to battle the infected. He had an immunity to it. So if he was infected, he was either going to turn into a Walker or. . . or this big bandage covering him was going to fall off.

"We have to get to Ragland." Toby croaked, looking back up at Mercer, whose expression had suddenly gone very grim.

Toby was scared, then, scared and angry.

His goddamn blood was what was going to kill him.


	6. The Door In The Wall

**Disclaimer**: I do not own any part of the Prototype universe. All characters are property of those who own Prototype. If anybody tries to gain money off of this franchise - be forewarned. Alex Mercer _will _find you, and you may find yourself sharing the fate of Karen Parker.

* * *

**Title**: Infectum.

**Summary**: The infection is surging again. Toby Knight must try to uncover the source of the viral flare - but between being an ex-Marine, fighting Blackwatch forces, and trying to keep a man-turned-virus calm. . . Life isn't easy anymore. Slight AU.

**Rating:** M. Finally upgraded it!

**Author's Notes: **Oh, my god. I feel like I'm going to die. Finals week is up, and I'm next on the chopping block. Haha. . . Hah. . . Ha. . . Dear lord.

I actually just got finished writing a minimum 8-page research paper with 15 sources. Jesus H., I never knew I could actually get up to that many. And only three of them are from the general internet! But I digress. Ducky and I are both somewhat busy, and I'm starting to get bitten by a wonderful bug to start writing my Resistance fanfic, Dominance, again. Maybe I'll work on the next chapter to it while I think of how to tackle the next one here.

But enough with my rambling.

Stay tuned, because I have a special side-fic that will be popping up fairly soon! It's as much a surprise to Ducky as it will be to all of you ((LOL, just because I wrote that, I bet you she'll read it.)).

**Warnings: **Not too much to be afraid of in here. There's some mystery that's starting to boil up (or my attempt at it, really), a couple naughty words here and there, and suddenly, a very hilarious situation. Enjoy!

* * *

Hello, hello  
It's only me infecting everything you love  
Somewhere beyond the pain  
There must be a way to believe

"What You Want" - Evanescence

* * *

There was a quiet crying, coming from somewhere inside of the house. Toby blinked as he looked around him - the house vaguely reminded him of the farm home he'd lived in as a child. Everywhere, shadows and cobwebs hung from the ceilings, dousing his childhood home in a heavy, dark fog. But still, he could hear that muted crying, and he knew he had to go and investigate. Because. . .

It sounded like Mark.

"Mark?" Toby called, stepping over the hardwood floor in his combat boots.

No answer came, but still, the keening persisted. Easily, Toby passed through the living room and towards the backdoor, where the noise was growing louder. The kitchen was orderly, everything folded and stored in their correct places. . . But the dark fog here was clashing with something else. The air in the kitchen was hot, almost musty, and the air was tinged with a dark scarlet.

The back door was open, and a strong, florescent light was pouring through it. The red fog was stronger there, misting in front of the door, as though it were trying to protect whatever was on the other side. Mark's crying was coming faster now, with a few hiccups here and there as his brother tried to catch his breath.

"I'm coming, Mark." Toby said again, hearing his voice echo throughout their home. He moved up to the door and stepped into the red mist, expecting a violent resistance - but it fell away, the world around him coming to a blinding white.

Wincing as he shielded his eyes, he found he was in some sort of. . . Interrogation room? There really was no other word for it. The walls and the floor were a stark white, with rows of strip lighting casting harsh illumination on the room. Mark was seated in the middle of the strange space, rocking himself, knees propped up into his chest, thin arms wrapped around them. He was young, looking to be a teenager again. If Toby had to guess, he would think Mark was fifteen or sixteen.

"My fault. . . My fault. . ." His brother murmured, and Toby frowned.

Striding forward, he heard his footsteps echo through the large space. He turned around a few times, trying to take in everything around him - and he found the door he had just walked through solidly shut. Through the glass, he could see the contours and outline of his kitchen, and he knew he could return, if he wanted to - but Mark needed him right now. Turning back around, Toby found Mark, and placed a hand on his shoulder.

Mark shuddered underneath his touch, turning his head towards Toby.

"I'm sorry, Toby. I couldn't. . . It's all my fault."

"What, Mark? What's wrong? Talk to me."

Toby was about to crouch down on one knee, take his brother into his arms and hold him, but his brother wasn't there anymore. His hair lengthened and lightened in color, and his body and clothes began to shift underneath his hand.

A girl was sitting there, the angel he had seen the night before. She had one baby-doll blue eye, and the other was a bloody red color. Messy blonde hair fell around her shoulders, and she was wearing a straight jacket, filled to the brim with belts and buckles.

"I killed them all."

Toby snatched back his hand as though she'd bitten it, and the tears came faster as she hung her head and sobbed.

"Where's Mark? What did you do with him? What did _you do?_" He was almost screaming now, because he knew what she was. What she could do. And oh, god, if she had killed Mark-

"I killed them all. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. It's my fault."

Toby let loose a cry of rage as he sprang forward, seizing her around the throat as he pinned her on the floor, choking her.

"I'll _kill _you! I swear it!"

He jerked then, as something hard impaled his gut. Looking down to his stomach, he found several razor-sharp tendrils had speared through him.

Blood began to drip onto that straight jacket she wore, evaporating with a sizzle as it hit her body. His blood was melting that straight jacket, revealing the white skin underneath - no, no, that wasn't right. There, on her stomach. . . When the blood hit her abdomen, it snaked across her skin to form a jagged, red wound.

She was speaking, but Toby couldn't hear her over the buzzing in his ears. He tried to free himself, but the tendrils held him firm, they curled around him, pressing him closer around her. She wrapped her arms around him as he struggled, lashing out for all he was worth, but she held him as easily as though he were a baby.

"I let everyone die. . . But you. You'll be safe, here. Inside me."

Toby screamed as the biomass began to wrap around every inch of his body, crushing her and him together - she was _consuming _him.

He felt something crack inside of his body, and then darkness rushed around him.

* * *

Toby startled awake, eyes snapping open and the beginnings of a strangled scream trying to leave him, but he clamped down on the reactions, forcing himself to lay on the flimsy hospital bed and collect himself. Being in the military, he had to wake up and fall asleep on command. . . And he couldn't afford to give away his position on the battlefield. Especially when they had been in the city of Manhattan, months ago. He had had to hunker down in the city overnight sometimes, with his fellow brother-in-arms.

Toby remembered one of their first incidents in the city.

It had been nothing short of a clusterfuck. Their platoon had been dispatched by helicopter, and upon touchdown, the infected had poured in from every street and rooftop of the surrounding buildings. It was back when the infection had first started. The military had declined at first - but the base they were supposed to be saving contained information of vital importance to Blackwatch.

The infected had seemed endless, horde after horde storming the base, and time wore on. At nightfall, a pack of Hunters had attacked. It was nothing short of a massacre as a few platoons tried to take on a small legion of Hunters with nothing more than automatic weapons. Thank god there had been some form of heavy artillery in the base, or else the Hunters truly would have ripped them apart. But the cartridges had ripped into their own ranks as well as the infected. . .

Toby would never forget the screams of the men as they had died that day.

Choppers had been unable to come in for pickup - the Hunters had grown quite nasty, and had been throwing anything they could lay their hands on. So the soldiers deployed to the base had no choice but to sleep inside of the installation. And Toby had slept among the soldiers curled up on the ground, or propped against the walls.

He had had nightmares, of children and monsters, of blood and gore, of people being ripped apart. Every nightmare was worse than the last, and he had woken every time with a startled scream and flailing arms.

Cavin Hayes had been there, after the third or fourth nightmare. The Irish man had thrown his body over Toby, had pinned down his arms and legs, had clamped a hand over his mouth to stifle the scream.

_"Shh. . .Calm down. S'all roight, lad. Jes' relax. Ya safe. Ya can't keep wakin' up like that. Ya have ta force yer body to stay calm."_

God, he missed that man. Toby had never spoken with him much, but he knew Hayes had been a good. . . No, a great soldier. One of the best he had ever known. Just another one of the lives the infection had ripped apart.

Closing his eyes, Toby forced his heartbeat to calm, and his breathing to even. He was safe, and among allies. Not only that, he was in the hospital. _Fucking sedatives_, Toby groused, _always give me the worst fucking dreams. _

Pushing himself up off of the uncomfortable hospital bed, Toby looked around the white, pristine room, and he knew he still wasn't in that fucked-up dream. Keres. . . The reason he had been bedridden, had at least fifteen new scars decorating his body - alright. Fifteen scars and one huge, pulsating, biomass _tumor._But he was alive, and that was all he could ask for at the moment. Getting answers. . . well, that would be an even better option.

Swinging his legs over the bed, Toby winced as he got to a standing position. He felt dirty, and he was covered in sweat. A proper shower was in order. He shuffled slowly into the huge bathroom, where a toilet with handicap bars, and a huge shower. To an ex-Marine like Toby, it was nothing short of the Taj Mahal. Easing his injured body out of the damp paper-thin pants and shirt he'd been given (he had refused to wear that ridiculous one-piece sheet, apparently. He'd fought with the kind nurses who had tried to put it on him on several occasions, even under sedation), and paused only for a second to look in the mirror.

His left arm was in a splint and wrap, and that dark red tumor clung stubbornly to his side, gently pulsating against his skin. Tearing his eyes away from the mirror in disgust, he moved into the shower and turned on the water. A beautiful luxury, showers. In the military, consuming precious water for personal hygiene was acceptable. . . For roughly five minutes or so. Having unlimited water was a miracle, and just the golden ticket to soothe the tired aching of the muscles in Toby's body.

He spent a luxurious fifteen minutes under the hot spray, rising and washing and then scrubbing up again. He didn't step out until every nook and cranny of his skin had been scrubbed clean of his romp in the Hive.

Only then did he carefully towel off, and moved back out into the hospital room. In one of the nightstand drawers there was a pair of thicker sweat pants, and Toby gladly crossed the room and slipped them on. While not as fashionable as one might hope, they were at least twenty times more comfortable. He was just slipping on a shirt when he heard a knock on the door, and Ragland entered without waiting for a response.

"Toby? Are you awake- oh. . . You were supposed to call in a nurse to help you with that."

Toby scoffed, inwardly shivering at the idea of nurses dressing and undressing him (especially _male _nurses), and turned to face Ragland, "I'm able to dress myself."

Ragland pinned him with a look, and had Toby not known any better, he would have sworn that the man had X-Ray vision eyes. All of the recent exertion was already making Toby start to feel tired. . . Which was pathetic really, because it was just showering and getting dressed.

"I see. . . In any case, please sit down. There's some things I'd like to discuss with you."

Toby did, but reflexively had to swallow down a thick knot building in his throat. Normally, when people said phrases like that, it always meant bad things. And Toby had just found himself in a world of shit not too long ago. Speaking of that.

"How long. . . Was I out?" Toby asked, as she sat back down on the bed, and Ragland in a visitor's chair opposite him, "I mean, what day is it?"

"Today is Friday. You were in the Hive for a majority of Sunday, and Alex got you in here Monday night. I got to working on you in the early Tuesday morning. We shut your body down, and kept it in sedation so I could examine you. You were in here for roughly three days."

Toby grunted, and then found another thought snaking into his head.

"Where's Mercer? I thought he would at least be interested about the thing on my side."

Ragland shifted in his chair, and Toby realized the doctor was holding a clipboard in his hands. And a name on the top of one of the papers looked suspiciously like his.

"Alex has been busy guarding uh, Keres, I believe her name is. She's currently situated in the infected holding cells. He couldn't risk her escaping and accidentally infecting my staff, so he's been watching her."

Oh. That made sense.

"I see." Toby said, more to break the silence that was growing then anything.

"In any case, Toby, I wanted to talk to you about what happened. My blood tests are still inconclusive. From what I can tell, she's infected with the Blacklight virus - but like Alex and Greene, she also carries a different strain. It takes a while to try and classify it - especially since I'm not working with the military's tech anymore."

Scrubbing the side of his head, Toby could already feel the beginnings of a migraine approaching.

"Wasn't Blackwatch here, asking for your help? How are we even safe here?"

"Relax, Toby. Blackwatch was here, yes, but as I've already told you, they just wanted my records. As of right now, they have made no plans to use my morgue again. You're safe. Anyway, I've been wanting to ask you - are you aware that your left arm is broken?"

Toby glanced down at his arm again, looking at the simple splint and wrap that had been secured around his arm. It hurt (_along with every other damn muscle in my body_), but there was no broken-bone pain radiating from the site. Toby had broken his arms and legs in various years of his life - one incident, resulting from falling from a tree, had hurt like a motherfucker - but never before had it. . . Not hurt. Especially considering he was only four days into healing.

Almost as though anticipating his thoughts, Ragland began to talk again, shuffling through the papers on his clipboard.

"She's keeping you alive for right now, from what I can tell. The biomass on your side is essentially acting like a giant bandage. The Hunter ripped out a lot of vital tissues, and the biomass is fighting with your blood. While this normally doesn't sound like a good thing, it's actually encouraging your body to heal at a rate that seems almost impossible. From what I can tell, your arm _was _broken, but she set that. So far, from what I can deduce, your body is currently in high speed. I don't know how long it will take for your arm to heal - so I'll have to touch base with you once or twice a day for a while. Same thing for your side."

Toby nodded his head numbly, his hand coming over to rub at the wrap. It was so. . . Strange. Yeah, that was the best word for it. He was going to be healing at an impossibly inhuman rate for a while. He'd been partially eaten by a Hunter, had been thrown down the street - and then Keres had tried to remedy the situation as best as she could. It was just. . . Weird to take in.

"I've. . . Already had this discussion with Alex," Ragland continued, "But I thought I should talk to you about this too. We have decided it is best for Keres to stay alive - and in your residence."

"_What?_" Toby couldn't reign back his surprise, the shock the roiled through him was that strong. It was like a wave had reared up and slammed into him.

Ragland held up his hands in a placating gesture, and Toby grabbed the side of the bed so hard, his knuckles turned white. Forcing himself to remain sitting, Toby ground his teeth together as he tried to remain as calm as possible. But hot damn, he was going to have one hell of a talk with Alex about this. He was also embroiled in all of this Blackwatch shit. Most likely they knew he was missing, not dead, and if they were back in the city, it wouldn't be long before they tried to catch him and shoot him dead on the spot. Probably after some torture first, though. Those fuckers were sick bastards.

"Listen, Toby. That biomass on your side - it's constantly engaged in a battle with your blood. Which means that your body is trying to reject it as much as it can. I was beginning to see this yesterday, but it's already starting to grow thin and weak in some places. . . You're going to need fresh biomass injections on a regular basis. And unless you want to stay in the hospital until you're all better. . ."

God damn that Ragland. He knew way too much about Toby's dislike of hospitals. Which was pretty much a given for any soldier, really. Doing nothing on base was a hell of a lot better than doing _absolutely _nothing in a hospital bed, except stare up at the ceiling and wait for people to come and "care" for you.

"So why can't Alex do it? That way she can stay here, and I could go back to the apartment."

Taking off his glasses, the doctor cleaned them on his shirt, shaking his head as Toby spoke.

"Toby, have you seen Alex's definition of finesse? It's a wonder he hasn't snapped you in half already-"

At that comment, Toby could see the slight amusement in Ragland's eyes, and he felt a heavy flush trying to develop on his cheeks. _Goddamnit. _

"-and there's no telling what adding Alex's strain of Blacklight into your body could do. It would be a lot safer for everybody this way. It's hard to tell when that biomass will need another injection. It will probably be frequent, now that you're up and at it."

It. . . Made sense, but goddamn, it still annoyed Toby for some reason. Probably because that bastard was still making decisions without asking him first - _Toby, stop thinking like that. Just deal with the situation at hand, and then work on the Alex problem. _

"So how the hell will he manage to keep her contained? Keres isn't like Alex. . ."

Just the mental image of her wandering out onto the street was enough to make him shudder. Especially if a swarm of Hunters decided to go and attack the civilians. Oh, god, Blackwatch Special Ops forces would be on them in a heartbeat. Toby could kiss the life he knew goodbye.

"I don't think that will be necessary. She's quite upset about you, Toby. In truth, she hasn't stopped crying for the better part of two days now. She wanted to know how you were doing, and Alex didn't want to give her any information - just in case. Call it intuition, but I don't think she'd do anything that would put you in danger - or make you mad for that matter."

Great. Just what he needed. A case of hero worship. My god, this day was just going to get better and better, wouldn't it? He groaned mentally, trying not to show too much distress over what was happening. Ragland stood, and gestured for Toby to get up.

"Come on. I know you'd probably like to get up and out of here. I've raided the pharmacy for you, and you can get situated with Alex. Are you alright to walk?"

Toby stood, and winced at the cold tile against his bare feet. Ragland immediately looked slightly abashed.

"Sorry. I forgot to bring you some shoes. I'll get you some before we leave. What size are you, 9 1/2? 10?"

"10." Toby replied, before moving to follow the doctor.

He must have had some wonderful leftover pain killers floating through his bloodstream or something, for there was no mind-numbing agony with every step that he took. Either that or whatever healing frenzy his body had gone into was somehow disturbing his pain receptors. . . Sure, his body still felt like somebody had taken a two by four to every inch of his skin, but it was definitely more tolerable than what it had been previously. They went down the hallway some, where other, empty hospital rooms passed them by.

Ragland ushered him into an elevator with a keycard reader, and swiped it before pressing a button labeled, "LAB." The ride down was silent, and thankfully short. The elevator opened up to the Lab level - Toby had been in that part of the hospital before, when he'd first met Mercer. They had attempted to weaponize his blood to use against the infected. Unfortunately, after a comrade's death, he'd been knocked unconscious shortly after.

Toby still wondered to this day if his blood bombs had been worth it. . . If they had done any damage at all. Alex always grunted and told him they got the job done. It made it worth it, knowing that Scott had died trying -

"-please? Just tell me that. What harm can it do to tell me if he's alive?"

Keres.

Toby could hear the tears in her voice, the way she sounded so haunted.

(_". . . But you'll be safe, here. Inside me."_)

Shaking himself from his thoughts, Toby did his best to try and forget that nasty dream he had. Damn sedatives. Ragland and Toby moved forward to find Alex standing in front of the heavy glass enclosure that was an infected holding cell. It was specially ventilated to pump in a small amount of Bloodtox, Toby knew - just enough to keep the Walkers in a pained stupor. They were easier to handle that way, apparently. Keres was currently situated inside of that holding cell, blonde hair messily tangled around her face, cheeks bright red and tear stained.

Ragland and Toby approached Alex, and instantly Keres lapsed into silence. Toby was grateful, but chose not to look at her any longer. Not that he would ever admit it, but he was afraid of what he would see, the more he looked. He did not know how to feel when it came to Keres. Considering that she'd been responsible for almost killing him (indirectly), and then she'd done her best to save his life. . .

"Alright, Alex. I'm going to release Toby to your care so long as he takes it easy for the next few days. Visit the hospital daily for check-ups, and I'll give you the medication you may need. I'll be back in a moment." Ragland excused himself to go to the office desk, where a somewhat large bag of of pill bottles sat upon.

Toby turned to Alex, and felt the man's eyes taking in every feature of his body. Slowly, Alex examined Toby from top to bottom, before finally meeting his eyes. Had it been any other man who regarded him with such a searing gaze, Toby probably would have backed up and asked them what the hell was wrong with them. But from the intense, harried light in Mercer's eyes, Toby knew full well that Alex _had _been worried about him. It was there, in his eyes, plain as day. That same heartbroken look he got when he was thinking about Dana-

"You look like shit."

. . . Well, fuck. At least Toby now knew that that Mercer's witty remarks weren't just limited to the bedroom.

"Yes, I am aware of this, you asshole. How kind of you to notice."

Alex's eyes gave off a little spark of amusement, and Toby could have sworn he saw a ghost of a smile on his face. But then Alex turned his head, and all traces of amusement dropped away. Reflexively, Toby looked too - and found Keres on her knees before the glass, hands pressed against it. Toby didn't think he cold ever get over those arms. The way the infection had made itself known on her skin. . . It just looked wrong.

"I'm glad you're okay, Toby," Keres said quietly, tears still rolling down her cheeks. She smiled brightly, "I was so scared for you. . . But. . ." She trailed off, fingers curling against the glass.

"Stay here." Alex said shortly, before approaching the holding tank. Toby reflexively wanted to argue, but he was curious as to what was about to happen. Keres watched Alex approach with a wary eye, as though she expected him to snap out his blade and run her through with it.

"I'm going to offer you a choice. And you'll accept it," (_yep. That's Mercer_, Toby thought, _master negotiator_.), "you will come to our safe house. And you will give Toby more biomass injections. If you make any threatening moves - if you dare to begin infecting the surrounding area, I will consume you. Is this understood?" Alex's tone implied the other option - refuse, and he'd consume her anyway.

Keres was silent for a long moment, as she and Mercer looked at each other. Blue met mismatched eyes and a scarred face, but eventually Toby found Keres turning to look at him, and more specifically, the biomass clinging to his side. After a moment's pause, she nodded her head.

"Okay. . . I'll be good. I won't touch anybody."

Alex paused for only a moment before he pressed the release button, and the heavy glass pane separating her from the world began to slide back. _She could have broken that, no doubt. _Toby thought to himself, _so why hasn't she? _The glass finally folded neatly in on itself, and Keres got to her feet, stepping out tentatively. Alex watched her like a hawk, keeping close tabs on every movement that she made. Keres locked gazes with Toby, and that same, quiet relief poured through her. She looked like she wanted to come over and hug him, or touch him, but just as quickly as it was there, it was gone.

She stared down at the floor, a muted pain flashing in her eyes. Alex seemed satisfied by this reaction, for he stepped away from the door - and her - and approached Ragland, who indeed had a pair of hospital shoes in his hand. He passed them to Toby, who quickly put them on (_good god, my feet _were _freezing_) and handed him the huge bag of pill bottles. There must have been at _least _ten different medications in that damn bag. The doctor instructed him to leave his left arm alone for a day or two, to take every medication as prescribed, and if anything went wrong - _anything_, they were both to come back to the hospital as quickly as possible.

"I got it, I got it." Toby said, feeling the beginnings of another headache beginning to form in the back of his skull. Oh, yeah. He already felt like he should be sleeping again.

His rescue came in the form of Alex, who began to shepherd both Ragland and Toby to a truck, while he and Keres exited the building. Slipping into the passenger seat, the drive back to the apartment was less than eventful - and a few times, Toby caught his body trying to catch a nap on the short ten-minute drive back to their home. But they got there, and Toby was glad the building had an elevator that went up to roof access.

No more stairs with the horrid tumor clinging to his side.

Ragland didn't accompany the ex-Marine inside, instead choosing to drive the truck back to the hospital. Toby didn't mind - he had everything that he needed from Ragland. A wonderful, huge bag full of painkillers, and a whole list of restrictions on what he wasn't allowed to do. The elevator flowed to a stop smoothly to the roof access level, and he only had to step up four stairs to get to the door. Pushing that open, he found Keres and Alex there, standing a ways away from each other, uncomfortably silent.

Toby was the one who opened the door and threw the bag of pills down onto a counter, before walking over to the couch and easing onto it. Oh, yeah. That was it, right there. Now, if only he could crack open a cold one (alcohol and pills mixing be damned), and pass out like a damn rock-

Alex moved into their safe house easily, but it was Keres he noticed. She hesitated in the doorway, eyes taking everything in around her.

Whether it was morbid curiosity, or leftover medication floating in his bloodstream, the ex-Marine finally decided to talk to her.

"What? Something wrong?" He asked.

It took a moment for her to look at him, but even then, it was only for a moment. She was glancing at everything, fingertips running over the wall, a piece of paper, a coffee table. Their safe house was part home, mostly Blackwatch tracking and information-gathering center. So the place was awash with important documents, and incredibly messy.

"I've uh. . . Never been inside of a house before. It's. . . It's uh. . ." She replied lightly, looking nervous and excited at the same time.

"Messy as shit." Toby offered, relaxing into the couch.

"It's amazing." Keres corrected, before moving to the opposite side of the room from Toby.

Toby knew that it might not have appeared that Alex was watching her, but he was. The man knew everything that was going on around him. But Toby could hardly find himself to care about Keres's discomfort, as fatigue slowly stole over him. The couch was suddenly feeling very, _very _nice, and his eyes closed. He vaguely heard Keres murmuring to herself, and Alex growling in reply, but the world began to fade away as an exhausted sleep claimed him once more.


	7. The Wheels of Chance, Part I

**Disclaimer**: I do not own any part of the Prototype universe. All characters are property of those who own Prototype. If anybody tries to gain money off of this franchise - be forewarned. Alex Mercer _will _find you, and you may find yourself sharing the fate of Karen Parker.

* * *

**Title**: Infectum.

**Summary**: Blacklight is back. Toby Knight and Alex Mercer team up to uncover the source of the viral flare - and ultimately end up revealing more secrets from Blackwatch. Armageddon is a lot closer than anyone thinks. . . M/M, slight AU. Continued from Sanctum.

**Rating:** M. Finally upgraded it!

**Author's Notes: **Firstly, I want to apologize. I never wanted to do a Pt. I and Pt. II of chapters, but that's how this one is going to turn out. As I was writing, editing, and rewriting, it only seemed to grow in length, unfortunately. And I was like, "No way. This is over 5K in words. For a single part. People are not going to want to read this all the way through." So I sent it to Ducky, and she said it was fine - much to my grumbles of protest - and I swear, I _swear _Pt. II will not be a 5K word count.

I split it up into two parts because I thought it might be a bit much to have over 5K in one chapter. Every bit of it is important, though - I promise! Including the return of crazy Adam Jackson. And how I originally got the idea for the spinoff of Ducky's fic surfaces in this chapter. Anyway, please read, review, and enjoy! Also, the summary is probably going to be changed, but nothing else, so don't worry! Also, I'd like to say that I made "vasectomied" a word. Vasectomy-ed just doesn't look right, does it? So I told the dictionary to go bugger off this chapter. Haha.

**Warnings: **I wrote something that might give you a mental image that may require brain bleach. Or, at least, dissolve into giggles. Whenever I read a certain sentence involving Alex and Blackwatch soldiers that I wrote in here, I lose it. But that's just me. Nothing to warn y'all about in this chapter!

* * *

No more waiting for the end  
Of every day that I will spend  
Wishing that I only had a choice.  
No more pushing you away,  
'Coz I'll be busy watching things go my way  
Never looking back on this anymore.

"So Far Away" - Crossfade

* * *

Jackson had never enjoyed the taste of recycled air.

Licking his lips behind the mask he wore, the Blackwatch Captain tried to imagine the odd flavor of recycled air melting off of his tongue. It didn't work - but it had been worth a shot. Turning his attention back to the biomass-covered environment around him, he found himself stifling a large jab of frustration that arose inside of him. All around him, the bright red of the infection made itself known. Evidence that subject 017 had been there.

Turning his head, he cursed silently as the tube for the respirator caught on his shoulder. He'd never liked the damn things - necessary as they were in infected zones as they were - but wearing the extra piece of headgear gave all Blackwatch operatives that extra bit of intimidation they needed. A definite plus when a soldier had to deal with the panic of civilians and the stupidity of the US military.

Sucking in another breath, he mentally grimaced at the taste of stale, metal air, and tried to find clues in the abandoned corpse of the Hive.

Using the barrel of his gun, Jackson flipped over a piece of biomass-covered concrete, looking for a lead. A telltale sign that subject 017 was still alive. Upon finding nothing, Jackson experienced another, much sharper stab of irritation.

For eleven years, his plans had never failed. The iron rules that he'd set down were kept to the letter, and Jackson made damn certain to cross his t's and dot his i's. The scientists had given him hell about it sometimes, but a quick threat, a small flash of his handgun, and they'd quieted. He'd kept a hawk's eye on 017 - and the one day that the scientists had gotten careless, she'd escaped. It had felt pretty damn good to pop a round between her eyes, even if it hadn't killed her. A small slice of retribution for going against his rule.

Although, subject 002 hadn't been too happy with him for doing that. The virus had just about leaped into the air before the Heavy troopers had come onto the scene. They'd beaten him back, pounding him into the concrete ground of the hangar. Jackson had almost called off the assault - when 002 had struck back, a deadly barrage of spiked biomass slicing through the super soldiers. Jackson had seen the maniac gleam to his eye, the sharp, sadistic smirk he'd shot off before he'd grabbed 017's body and escaped.

Subject 002 had taken 017 and himself into Manhattan, and the two had separated. From there, subject 002 had disappeared, and Jackson had no idea where the virus had gone. He didn't care to know, either. His only concern was subject 017.

Blackwatch had set up an initial cordon around the newly-infected area. They'd scoured the city blocks, inch by inch, and had finally managed to locate her. She'd been walking around in a stupefied wonder, peering in awe at the corpse of the city around her. She hadn't even bothered to cover up her trail. So a week ago, they'd attempted to recapture her. It had almost succeeded, too. She'd been cornered, and riddled with bullets. Jackson had watched as the fear rose on her face, the knowledge that she was going to be locked up again dawned on her - and from there, it had gone to hell.

Her instincts woke with a vengeance, and she had infected several of the Heavy troopers before they'd had a chance to react. She began to infect others, building a small platoon of Hunters. And the angry beasts had stared down the Blackwatch forces, blood lust gleaming in their eyes.

They'd lost eight men that day. Jackson had not been a happy Blackwatch Captain. So, in retaliation, they had managed to kill four of the newly-turned Hunters. She escaped, and Blackwatch gave pursuit.

For two days, they began to tighten her noose, making their presence more known. Flood lights. Tanks. Cordons. Everything and anything that would psychologically scare her into giving up. Willingly or not. They corralled her into a smaller, much more confined space - it was only ten blocks, give or take a few feet. It had been pathetically easy. She was terrified of them - always had been, her entire life. Unlike Pariah, or even Zeus, she clung to the notion that she contained a small shred of humanity.

Hell. She hadn't even _consumed _anybody in-

"_Moving onto the next quadrant, sir._" A man spoke into the mic, snapping Jackson from his thoughts.

"Proceed," He replied, "Scan everything thoroughly." Two clicks later - a signal he'd been understood - and it was silent again.

There was a file cabinet to his right, and Jackson opened up the bent top drawer. It came loose with a deafening screech, but he began to flip through the files, just to see if she'd squirreled anything away. He didn't find anything of interest, but he hadn't expected to. His thoughts turned inward once more, and again, he found that angry coal of irritation rising to a flame.

They had confined her to such a small space. She was beginning to feel suffocated, he knew. Added to the fact that she'd been infecting their Heavies, she was scared. After spending eleven years with her - he knew how she thought. What her actions were going to be. She'd hunkered down in a Hive with her small army of Hunters, fearing the final battle. Three days ago, Jackson had been in the process of speaking with Headquarters about a payload of incendiary. . . When the worst possible thing occurred.

Zeus happened.

The man-turned-virus had been clean, efficient, and savage. He'd ripped through their forces and slaughtered the Hunters without breaking a sweat. Unlike 017, he wasn't at odds with his abilities - and he had no qualms with using them. He remained in the area for a day, picking off any Blackwatch contingent ordered to go and infiltrate the area. Another twenty-one men had been lost that day.

And then, just like that, he'd disappeared as quickly as he'd come.

Zeus had left nothing but blood and gore in his wake. . . And it was assumed that he had either consumed subject 017, or he had taken her into his possession. Headquarters had been leaning heavily on the second theory - primarily because they'd found a rather sizable biomass puddle in the street outside of the Hive. Upon analyzing the samples, it had matched perfectly to 017.

So there he was, scrounging around in the dirt, waiting for a sign that would point him in the right direction. And after days of scouring the Hive, nothing of value had surfaced so far. Taking another deep breath of recycled air, Jackson licked his teeth. When he laid his hands on her, she was going to regret the day she'd ever gone against his authority. In fact, Commander Trent had never stated that he had to return her right away. And so long as he got in some play time with her, Jackson could care less what Blackwatch chose to do with her. His Ka-Bar was just itching to carve her biomass to pieces. . .

"_Captain Jackson. I've found something of interest._" A soldier reported, coming up to Jackson's position. The Captain turned to the man, his lips twitching into a frown. The soldier. . . Held something. Something he couldn't readily identify.

The soldier turned the object in question over to Jackson, who was quick to begin inspecting it. He twisted and turned it, tilting it this way and that in his hands. It was explosive in nature, that much he was certain of - but there was some sort of. . . liquid inside. It was impossible to tell what it was, however, as intense heat had blackened the outside of the object. Likely, the weapon had malfunctioned, and the fire hadn't set it off.

Something nagged at the back of his mind. A small piece of information he'd heard, relating to the last infection. . . News. A story of. . . A missing Marine. And of infected, succumbing to a new pathogen that Blackwatch hadn't engineered. . .

Jackson froze as it clicked in his mind.

And then, in the span of a second, he was grinning. Perfect. _Perfect._

Holding the grenade in his hand, Jackson looked back to the soldier, who was patiently standing before him, waiting for an answer.

"Get HQ on the radio. Tell them we've found something. . . Quite invaluable."

The soldier nodded, jogging to their temporary communications center. Jackson looked back at the explosive in his hands again, and a wicked grin split his lips. Already, a plan was forming in his mind. Efficient. Cold. Calculating. If subject 017 was in Zeus's possession, he would force her to come back to him. Shaking the grenade, Jackson began to whistle as he made his way out of the building.

* * *

_Toby cursed, wriggling his arms and legs in an attempt to free himself. It was nigh impossible, for heavy straps kept him secured to a table. No, it wasn't even a table. It was a fucking _gurney._ All around him, he was surrounded by sterile white walls and towering medical monstrosities. A constant _beep beep beep _was filling the air - and it was going to drive him insane. He struggled to break free again, claustrophobia and anger ripping through him. Tears of helplessness and rage were building in his eyes. He couldn't get his hands free. He was feeling like he was suffocating._

Every part of his body had been buckled into the table - and he was wearing some kind of fucking straight jacket._ God. If he didn't get out of it soon, he was going to go insane. He already felt like a loony at a psych hospital, the way the jacket was made to force his arms to hug himself-_

_Something moved above him. A whir of machinery that broke the monotony_ beep beep beep.

_Craning his neck as far back as it could go, Toby could see some kind of. . . Mechanical arm. His heart started to pound, and he watched as the arm started to descend. Various wires and tubes stuck out at certain junctures, and a transparent canister was hooked into it. A clear, somewhat gelatinous liquid sloshed around gently as it moved._

The fuck is that? _Toby thought, swallowing against a tightness building in his throat. The arm crept closer, and finally stopped._

"Administering test serum DX-225. Medical team, standby."_ A voice announced, coming from somewhere over an intercom system. Toby opened his mouth to speak, to ask what was going on, but his throat closed, and all that emerged was a hoarse squeak._

_Like something out of his nightmares, a long needle slid out of a port, and the arm began to descend._

No. No. NO! _Toby struggled harder, trying to break free from his restraints - and automatically the straps around him tightened, locking his body onto the table.  
__  
_beepbeep beepbeep beepbeep.

_He continued to struggle, approaching hyperventilating, the beeping was so _loud.

_The arm stopped out of his vision, and he felt the tip of the needle pressing against his neck. He tried to yell, to tell them to fucking _stop-

_"Keres, stop moving."_

___And then the needle pierced him. Toby gasped, entire body going still as an iciness began to spread through the area of his neck - and it was freezing him. It was spreading, so damn fast, and god, it was so damn cold. His muscles started to move without his permission, twitching and flinching as if electricity were pumping through his system. There was no pain, just this god awful frozen twitching spreading, drowning out his thoughts - he could feel his mind slipping away. . ._

And then his body was convulsing, limbs thrashing as the ice spread further, finally spearing into his heart- 

* * *

Toby came awake, eyes snapping open, panic flooding through him.

Upon realizing he was laying on a soft, warm bed and not a cold metal gurney, he relaxed. He was back in reality. _I. . . Am fucking tired of those dreams._ Lifting a hand to rub at his head, Toby sat up and groaned as disorientation and nausea swirled through him. Just like last time - only, instead of trying to develop weapons against the infected, the infected were working to save Toby's life. Thankfully, the room was quiet and empty, devoid of walking viruses.

Groaning, Toby threw his feet over the bed and got to (slightly unsteady) feet.

His stomach rebelled and the movement, so Toby shuffled quickly to the bathroom across the hall. Closing the door behind him, he leaned against the counter and sucked in deep, steadying breaths. Gripping the edge of the counter to feel stability, he opened his eyes and stared at his reflection in the mirror. He looked somewhat haggard, and primarily pale. His eyes had bruises under them from all of the recent nightmares, and the bouts of nausea that kept him awake during the nights.

He looked better than he had, though. That was a plus.

Still. . . Almost hesitantly, Toby's fingers curled under the hem of his shirt, and he slowly lifted it, revealing his side. Dr. Ragland had informed him that the scarring would be permanent. If he felt conscious about them, Ragland could recommend some lotions that might be able to lighten the redness of the scarring. . . But, Toby found he didn't mind so much. He was getting used to the fact that his side would be covered in jagged red markings. It meant he survived. Despite how helpless he'd been, he'd been lucky enough to cheat death another time.

And even better, the tumor had shrunk to a palm-sized spot on his lower ribs. He guessed he had another two biomass treatments to go, and then he'd be home free. Thank god, too, because he wasn't sure how much more of the sickness and throwing up he could take. Sighing, he dropped the shirt and turned left the room, absently remembering the last few times he'd tried to go in alone.

Keres had walked along silently behind him, had even gone in _with _him several times. She had no modesty, no embarrassment. Toby had finally managed to put the end to that when he'd peevishly shoved her out, slammed the door in her face, and told her to get the fuck out. Not necessarily the kindest word choice, but it had worked. She no longer followed him into the bathroom like a lost puppy. Most of the time. She was pretty good about remembering it, though.

_You know what you need?_ A voice in the back of his brain piped up, _beer. Copious amounts of it. Have at it._

For once, Toby agreed. Walking out into the living room, Toby was greeted by Keres, messy hair pulled back in an even messier bun, her arms full of cleaning supplies. Upon seeing Toby, she shot a huge grin in his direction, "Hello, Toby! I didn't expect to see you up this early." She chirped, far too enthusiastic for her own good.

Toby grunted, moving to the kitchen. Keres followed his movements as she went about cleaning, scurrying around the living room like the busy bee she was. He went straight to the fridge, opened it, yanked out a bottle of beer, and popped the cap on the counter top. He stared at the cold glass bottle for a moment, smelling the arid smell of fermented hops, and heard a voice whisper in the back of his brain again. _Don't do it. You'll only get sicker_.

He took a sip, just a tentative little thing, and felt his taste buds rejoice at the flavor. He shot back the rest of it before he could blink, chugging like a pro. _Fuck you, Common Sense. Ambrosia of the gods. . . _Reaching in for another one, Toby popped it and began to nurse it, glad that first one didn't come straight back up.

"Careful, Toby," Keres warned, spraying something with windex, "You don't want to get sick again."

"Mmm." He replied, taking another sip.

His stomach seemed fine. Not great, but it was alright. Toby stood against the counter, nursing his beer, and watched Keres flit to and fro. She had done her best to contain the Blackwatch paperwork, by keeping it neat and tidy, but hadn't moved it around too much - something Toby was grateful for. He wouldn't be able to find anything if she started organizing it. It was strange, though, watching her infection-mottled arms reaching for things, holding handles and cups and dusters. She cleaned the fan, the TV, the coffee table, the window sills, the windows - fuck. She was starting to make him dizzy.

Flopping down in the nearest chair, Toby took another swig, "Why are you doing this? Mercer's just going to get it dirty again, anyway." That man tracked dirt and mud _everywhere_. Toby had tried to keep the apartment clean, but had given up in the end. Mercer just mucked it all up again.

"I've never been in a house before, so I thought I should pitch in. He can make it dirty, I'll just clean it again."

"Apartment," Toby corrected, "And you're starting to give me a headache." He griped, desperately wishing that she'd sit down. At least Mercer - when he was present - was still. Quiet. Keres was the complete opposite of that. She was just so goddamn. . . _Bubbly. _

"Oh, I'm sorry, Toby," (Another thing she did that pissed him off - apologized for _everything_), "Want me to get anything for you while I'm up?"

"No."

She sat down then, her knee bouncing up and down as she fidgeted with her fingers, oblivious to the fact that she was even doing it. Toby felt irritation rising, and wisely decided he needed to start talking. Anything to get his mind off of her weird idiosyncrasies.

"Where's Alex?" She asked, throwing the ball out there first.

"Out. About. I dunno. Probably fucking around with Blackwatch somewhere."

She blinked owlishly at him, and then looked at the wall, thinking - before an epiphany struck her.

"Oh! You mean he's messing with them. Okay. I thought you meant he was having sex with them. Ha, ha. Alex would be able to do that. Maybe a whole platoon-"

"Keres," Toby said, struggling to bite back the mental images rising, "Please. Don't finish that sentence." He was biting his lips hard, to keep from smiling. Oh god, it was so, so wrong. Mercer, on the receiving end of a gang bang. Just the _notion _made Toby want to clutch at his ribs and laugh until his ribs bruised.

"Okay. Sorry, I'm not up to date on a lot of your sayings. I'll get it eventually - oops. Need to start the dishwasher!" She hopped back up to her feet, moving out to the kitchen, and Toby took another swig, feeling his mood improving. He needed a good laugh right then.

"Keep it up any longer, and you'll need one of those weird French Maid outfits." Toby jabbed, figuring it appropriate. She was taking clean to a fetish-obsessed level. Everything needed to be clean. Clean, clean, clean. Not that Toby minded, but it made him dizzy watching her do all of the work.

"I think I saw. . . Yeah! I saw one of those on TV. For uhm, sex? Anyway, I don't think I'd like that. It would lead to that other stuff. Belts, buckles. Straight jackets. Next thing you know, I'll be strapped to a table and they'll be sticking needles in my neck."

Toby froze. He froze so badly that he could feel his heart beating in his chest, and his mind flashed back to the nightmare he'd had. The straight jacket, wrapped around him, being buckled down to a gurney. . . The needles, operated by mechanical arms that had speared the delicate skin of his neck. . . Was it possible? In a way, it made sense. It made a terrifying, horrible kind of sense. Mercer absorbed memories and personalities of those he consumed. . . So what if. . . If he'd done the same with Keres? Through the biomass on his side?

In his dream, they'd called him _Keres_.

Giving his head a discrete shake, Toby did his best to dispel the thoughts. Even if he was onto something, it would be stupid to start talking about it right then and there. What good would it do? It may only cement his beliefs, and what would be able to do about it? Nothing. Therefore, it would be a hell of a lot smarter to just keep his trap shut about it.

"I just realized something," Toby said, leaning forward, pressing his arms to his knees, "You've been here for two weeks. . . and I don't know anything about you. We haven't even had a conversation, really."

For the first time since he'd seen her, she stopped. Quit bouncing her knee, stopped playing with her fingers. She turned her head, looking at him, her right eye covered by a hastily-applied bandage. The color would be red underneath, like the color Mercer's eyes turned when he used his nicknamed, "Infection Vision." Toby was brought back to the present when she bit her lip and looked away.

"I thought that would be a really good idea. At first. But the more I think about it, the more. . . I can't let it happen. If Blackwatch finds out that you're immune to the virus, that somehow, you can tolerate _my _virus. . ." She trailed off for a moment, before shaking her head and shooting him a wide grin, "No, Toby. The less we know about each other, the better. I'm happy just being around you!"

She was shutting him out. Closing the door. If he had offered up this a week ago, she would have jumped all over it. He recalled memories from the few encounters they'd had with each other. In the Hive, in the hospital. . . She'd looked at him with such stark relief, with so much happiness, he'd felt his own heart ache. Even though what she was saying was true, that if Blackwatch ever got his hands on him - he'd be vasectomied. Over and over again. He'd be bled dry time and time again, tested to the point of insanity. Interrogated to the breaking point.

_It's the best thing to do, Toby_, Common Sense made a comeback in his brain, _she's right. You'll be tortured until you die. _

_Fuck you_, Liquor replied, _let's do this. It's not fun unless it's illegal._

Leaning forward, Toby reached forward and caught her hand in his own. It was smaller, and much hotter than Mercer's. She visibly shuddered at the contact, unused to somebody touching her in kindness - especially her arms. She looked at him, openly curious, looking a little worried.

"Toby?" She asked, lips twitching into a frown.

"I don't care," He said, "If Blackwatch finds me, they find me. I'm not going to run scared. Fuck, I've been with Mercer for over half a year now. Not much else can terrify me at this point. There's no harm in talking and getting to know each other, is there?"

It took a second, but she smiled. A genuine smile - it reached her eyes. Keres squeezed his hand gently.

"You've. . . Got a point. I don't think I'd ever want to be on Mercer's bad side, either. Okay. . . Okay, even though it's not the smartest thing, I'll talk."

And so they did. In the span of a couple hours, Toby sat on the couch, Keres sat in the chair, and they talked. It felt. . . Goddamn liberating. She asked about the most mundane things. What owning a dog felt like. What having Mark in his life was like. With Mercer, he couldn't talk about any of these things. It felt too personal, too intimate. But Keres. . . She just sat there and listened. She smiled and laughed, commenting on things she didn't understand, wanting to get to know him. And for Toby. . . It was wonderful. For the first time in a very long time, he got to talk to somebody who would sit there and listen.

Somebody who wouldn't just snort and tell him to suck it up and act like a goddamn man.

For once. . . Toby was able to let his armor fall off.

"So," He said, propping his feet up on the coffee table, "I never understood it. You seem so. . . Timid, for a virus. I never met Greene, but Mercer. . . Well, you've seen him. He's pretty callous. Claims it's from all of the people running around in his head."

Keres shrugged.

"Truth is, I don't like consuming people. It's so horrible. All of my consumptions are done only when it's absolutely necessary. I hate it, actually. The sensations, the sounds - especially the memories. It's so painful, almost overwhelming when you absorb all of their life within a matter of seconds. And. . . To be honest, I think my mom helps influence me."

Toby's confusion went from none to ten thousand in two seconds flat.

"Your. . . Mother?" He repeated, to which Keres nodded her head.

"I'm not a pure virus. But it's okay, I can understand why you're confused. Her name was Meredith Cardell, and she was a scientist, working in Blackwatch. She was going to take some time off, because she was pregnant. But Mother - Greene - was close to giving birth, so she stuck around just a little bit longer - and she was infected. I was born a few months later. . . I ended up killing her. The scientists told me I took over the baby, and accidentally consumed her, too, shortly after. I also think that my body, right now - it's what Meredith's baby was supposed to look like when she got older."

Well, that had been spine-chilling. Toby shook his head, taking another swig, at a loss for words.

"That's just. . . Wow." He said, unsure of how to proceed.

"Sorry, I know it isn't a happy story," She said, looking somewhat sheepish, "But you see, Meredith has this theory. The virus adopts human thoughts, emotions, and even perceptions by consuming people. Through these, it teaches itself more about the subjects we're meant to infect, consume, or kill. Kind of like a better way of wearing camouflage to sneak around undetected. But she thought, given time, that the virus would eventually build intelligence. That it would develop a sense of right and wrong. I think she's right, too. I mean, I just want to. . . Be. As dorky as that sounds," She said, shooting him another smile, "I don't want to walk through town and infect everyone and everything. Alex is the same way, too. He doesn't go around, infecting everyone and taking over the world."

Toby laughed, grinning back, "We're not talking about the same Mercer, then. But how about we get away from the deep stuff, huh? How old are you? That sounds like a safe question."

To this, Keres shrugged again, "I guess around twenty-nine or twenty-eight? Blackwatch never told me what day I was born, and Pariah never remembered either. We were in cells most of-"

"Wait, wait. You spoke with Pariah?" Toby asked, and Keres eagerly nodded her head.

"Yeah, a lot. . . Er, that is, it was actually Pariah talking to me. I was drugged most of the time. But we were held in captivity together. When we broke out not too long ago, I got shot in the head. Pariah's the one who took me here, to get me away from Blackwatch."

"You and Pariah were close?"

Both Keres and Toby turned to the sound of the new voice, and found Alex standing in the hallway joining the living room to the bedrooms. His blue eyes were flashing a flinty, cold gray under his hood.

"Uhm. . . Y-Yes?" Keres replied, her voice wavering.

Mercer smiled, then, unusually cold and cruel. Toby felt his spine stiffen and his muscles tensing, readying for some kind of violence to erupt from Alex. Mercer took two steps forward, his footsteps loud and echoing in the suddenly quiet atmosphere of the room. Toby glanced at Keres to find her staring at Alex with unguarded fear - her hands were actually shaking.

"Looks like I found some use for you after all." He said, his voice calm, quiet - cold. Then he turned and disappeared back into the hallway, where Toby was sure he was making a beeline for a window to do God-knew-what.

Silence reigned, until Toby settled back against the cushions, _well, that certainly should have gone a bit smoother. No need to be a dick, Alex_. Looking over at Keres again, Toby noticed she was still staring at the hallway, as though she expected Mercer to jump out at any moment, biomass tentacles wrapping around her to consume her.

"Hey," He said softly, "You okay?"

It took a second, but Keres moved her head to look at him, and blew a heavy sigh out of her mouth as she forced herself to relax.

"Half the time," She said slowly, "I don't know if he wants to kill me, or stuff me in a closet somewhere, lock it, and forget about me."

At this, Toby smiled, reaching for a half-full bottle of beer he'd been nursing during their long conversation and took a swig.

"You and me both, kid."


	8. The Wheels of Chance, Part II

**Disclaimer**: I do not own any part of the Prototype universe. All characters are property of those who own Prototype. If anybody tries to gain money off of this franchise - be forewarned. Alex Mercer _will _find you, and you may find yourself sharing the fate of Karen Parker.

* * *

**Title**: Infectum.

**Summary**: Blacklight is back. Toby Knight and Alex Mercer team up to uncover the source of the viral flare - and ultimately end up revealing more secrets from Blackwatch. Armageddon is a lot closer than anyone thinks. . . M/M, slight AU. Continued from Sanctum.

**Rating:** M. Finally upgraded it!

**Author's Notes: **Part II has arrived! ZOMG, you guys. Have you seen the trailers for Prototype II? I passed by it in Walmart today, and I was like, "Man, I wish I had that game!" Ducky already watched how it ended (ffff-bad Ducky! Bad!), and she said it was horrible! _But_, I played all the way through Crisis Core and had to deal with Zack Fair - I think I can handle whatever's thrown Alex's way. . .

Anyway, back on track. Not much to say about this - except, if you squint enough, you can kind of see the foreshadowing. . . Maybe. Also, forgive me if any of this seems like a train wreck, thought-wise. It's 12AM in the morning, I just got back from a concert - Mastodon/Ghost/Opetha - and I'm beat!

**Warnings: **There is sex in this chapter, haha. I kind of figured that poor Alex had been going long enough without any, and it fit in well. Also it might have been for Ducky. . . Haha. Otherwise, there isn't much to warn about in this chapter, just some light sex at the beginning.

* * *

No more waiting for the end  
Of every day that I will spend  
Wishing that I only had a choice.  
No more pushing you away,  
'Coz I'll be busy watching things go my way  
Never looking back on this anymore.

"So Far Away" - Crossfade

* * *

Toby felt better than he had in _days._Lifting his arms up, Toby stretched, feeling the muscles in his body pull taut. Only a slight sting in his side bothered him - but even that was barely present. Only one more biomass transfusion, and then he'd be a free man. No more nausea, no more creepy nightmares (he hoped), and no. More. Bedrest. He'd been to see Ragland earlier in the day, and the doctor had cleared him from his torturous confinement, telling him he was free to do as he wished.

"_Report back to me if you experience any symptoms - I'd like to study Keres a bit more, of course. . . I think I found out why you're able to tolerate her viral strain - but I need to make certain of something, first. Come in through the back way. . . Blackwatch has been visiting my morgue more and more, recently._"

Ragland's words, courtesy of the doctor's visit that had transpired in the wee hours of the morning. He'd been overjoyed to hear them - he was tired of laying around, of not doing anything day in and day out.

So, today, he was dedicating everything he had to working out. He was going to push himself until he collapsed from exhaustion - if he didn't achieve this goal, he was going to renounce the title of "ex-Marine."

Currently, he was stationed on the rooftop of their apartment building, surrounded by a myriad of workout equipment. They had been appropriated by Alex from abandoned gyms in the infected zones - free weights and weight machines, all collected at Toby's request. Although Mercer had grumbled and bitched about it, he'd done it. _Small favors._

Without anymore hesitation, Toby plunged into physical exercise, holding nothing back - and it felt _good_. It was like scratching an itch that had been present for days on end. And in truth, it acted like a soothing balm on his mind. When he worked out, he lost himself in the burn and pull and stretch of his body and muscles. He stretched first, getting his body prepped for the physical exertion, and when that was accomplished, he did every physical exercise he could think of. From push ups to squats - free weights and weight machines, he targeted every muscle in his sorely neglected body.

Hours passed uninterrupted, the rhythmic clacking of the weight machines acting as an impromptu metronome. After a time, he peeled off his sweat-soaked shirt, letting random gusts of wind cool him off. He was in the middle of doing pushups when the rooftop trembled under his calloused palms, and he glanced up to find Mercer standing above him. Toby was about to huff out a "what?" - before he noticed Mercer's eyes slowly roving over him, taking him in.

Had he any breath to spare, Toby was fairly certain he would have scoffed. Horny bastard. With Keres's appearance and his recent injury, the poor little viral man hadn't been getting any action. Man probably had balls as blue as the deepest parts of the ocean by now.

"Feeling better, are we?" He asked, sounding a hell of a lot less cold and caustic then when he was in the apartment.

"One. . . Might say." He replied, feeling the muscles in his arms quiver with every time he forced them to lift his weight, and slowly lower himself back down.

Mercer stalked closer, his boots edging in front of him - and quicker than he could blink, Toby was yanked up to his feet, and Mercer locked him into a searing kiss that had Toby thrusting his hands into Mercer's jacket, seeking skin - and he found it in a matter of seconds. Mercer had him staggering backwards, his hand coming down, stroking him - Toby bit off a curse at the unexpected contact. Mercer was relentless - and within thirty seconds, Toby felt like he was going to lose it.

Going a few weeks without definitely made everything a little sensitive.

Alex seemed to know this, and began to walk the both of them backward. Toby felt his knees hit, and he flopped down rather ungracefully. Alex flipped him over and pressed him down, stretching his arms out. Toby was vaguely aware that he was pinning his wrists with his own, his other hand yanking down his workout shorts and discarding them. And then Alex was there - and he let out a throaty moan, because - fuck, yes, yes, _yes._

He didn't last long. It felt too good, had been so long - he writhed against Alex, trying to increase the pleasure, make it even hotter - Toby didn't quite remember what happened then, as it all became a heavy, blinding white heat. But he came back to himself, Mercer taking a moment to rest against him before standing up and extricating himself. Toby didn't move right away, needing to catch his breath, _. . . that was the fastest we've ever done it._He thought absently, suppressing the chuckle that tried to bubble up.

_Mercer's new personal speed record. _

"C'mon, Knight," Mercer said, breaking his thoughts, "I couldn't have tired you out that badly."

"Fuck you, too." He muttered, shoving himself up from the weight bench. Mercer's eyes flashed, his lips tilting up in a smirk.

"Was that another invitation?"

"You really are a horny bastard, you know that?"

Alex let out a chuckle (a rare one, at that), pulled his jacket up and said, "I won't deny it if you won't."

Getting his shorts from the rooftop (now sporting a good rip on one leg - _how the hell did he even do that?_), Toby struggled to stand - all of the muscles in his body had turned to gelatin. Mercer beat him to the rooftop access, and Toby followed, stopping to pick up his shirt before heading inside, feeling quite like an inebriated drunk as he tried to navigate his way downstairs. And all the way down, Alex smirked. Ineffective as it was, Toby flipped him the bird.

Even if Mercer didn't see it, it made him feel better.

* * *

"Are you all ready, Toby?" Keres asked, kneeling before him. Her head was tilted back so she could look at him, gauzy white bandages standing out starkly against her messy blonde hair.

Toby nodded his head, not quite trusting his voice. Previous biomass infusions had been a bitch, had hurt like nothing he'd ever experienced before. . . It was nothing short of absolutely horrible. Keres seemed to understand this, because she laid those mottled arms on his side (_don'tflinchdon'tflinchdon'tflinch_), and paused for just a second.

"It'll only last a few seconds - at most." She said, and turned her attention to the tiny red tumor still clinging to his side.

Toby flinched (_goddamnit_) at the sensation of one last biomass transfusion - hardly the size of a bandaid. But this was the final one. After this, Ragland had given the okay for the transfusions to stop. His body would be able to take care of the small gash from there - no excessive bleeding or infections predicted. The only piece of evidence that remained from his tussle with the Hunter was a rather large, jagged-looking scar on his side where the Hunter had bitten down. Ragland had told him he didn't know if the red color would ever fade, that it might be a permanent side effect from the infection.

Toby didn't mind. . . Too much. It would be a wicked war wound to show off, anyway.

Keres had been right - the biomass infection had only lasted seven - ten seconds, tops. She dropped her hands from Toby's side, and he looked up to find her looking. . . Pale. Really pale. she didn't say anything as she came to a stand, which worried Toby, but he didn't say anything.

"You feeling okay there?"

As if being caught daydreaming, she looked at him and gave him a halfhearted smile, "Yeah, just feel a little tired is all. I'm going to go take a nap. . . How about you?"

Giving his side an experimental twist, and found that there wasn't even a twinge of pain. He almost let loose a moan of gratefulness. Not having his side bug him anymore would be a dream come true.

"Better. Excellent. Amazing. Take your pick."

"Mmm. . ."

Her behavior was strange, but he shrugged it off. She'd been cleaning and running around and giving him biomass treatments. As far as Toby knew, she hadn't slept at all since she'd come there.

"Why don't you sack out on the couch?" He offered, getting off of the bed, "I'm going to work out today. I'll be in later." She nodded, and silent as a ghost, trailed out of his room. _Weird. . . _Shaking it off, Toby changed and grabbed a towel before he headed back up to the roof. He passed the living room on the way there - and lo and behold, there Keres was, curled up on the couch and sleeping.

Toby stayed true to his word, and got up to the rooftop to start working out. He didn't push himself to the brink of passing out, like he had yesterday, but it still felt good to get lost in his workouts. Halfway through his workout, though, Toby felt something. . . off. Frowning, he paused with his weights, trying to sort out why his gut was clenching up in a way that normally denoted, _fuck, you've got an emergency_- he turned to the stairwell leading into the apartment, and paused. Listening. . .

Nothing. But he couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong.

Setting his weights down, Toby got up and headed back inside, taking the stairs slowly, keeping his ears open for any threat. His instincts weren't screaming, '_danger! Enemy soldier nearby!_' but he couldn't put his finger on what was wrong. . . Edging back into the apartment, Toby found it looked normal. The front door and windows were intact, indicating that there was no forced entry. Coming into the living room, Toby found Keres was gone.

"Keres?" Toby called out, taking a chance and praying no Blackwatch troopers were in the building.

He received a low, pain-filled moan in response. Keres. It was coming from the hallway leading to the rooms. Quickly creeping back to the hallway (just to make sure it wasn't a trap laid by Blackwatch), peeked into the hallway, and found Keres there, shivering on the floor. She was hugging herself, and trying to curl into a fetal position. Trusting his gut - which was telling him there was no Blackwatch threat - he came forward to kneel down next to her.

"Keres. Keres, can you hear me?" Shaking her shoulder gently, he tried to get a response, but her eyes were closed and she seemed to be unconscious now. Her face was still pale, but it held a sickly tint to it now. _What the hell is wrong with her? Is she sick? Is it possible for her to even _get _sick? _

Well, shit. Shit, shit, _shit_. Gathering her up in her arms, Toby hardly paid mind to the fact that she was light - he carried her back inside of his bedroom and laid her down on his bed, trying to stop his hands from shaking.

It was like a scene from some bad soap opera. New-found friend suddenly collapses, and in their last moments, confesses that they have an incurable disease, and gosh, it was such a pleasure spending their last days with such a nice friend. . . _Not on my watch. _Digging out his cellphone, Toby had Alex's phone ringing in a matter of moments, impatiently pacing from one side of the room to the other, his hand nervously fisting at his side. It felt like a goddamn eternity, listening to a dull ring, when was Mercer going to pick up the motherfucking-

"_What?_" Came the calm-as-ever voice.

"Alex, Keres collapsed. I don't know what's wrong - she won't wake up. What the hell do I do?"

"_Don't do anything. I'm coming." _

_Click._

Toby breathed in and out deeply, trying to calm himself down as he shut his phone and turned his attention back to Keres. She laid there, looking tiny and sick and pale. Her face looked thinner. . . Had she lost weight? Approaching her, Toby grabbed one of her arms and pushed back the sleeve of her oversized hoodie (_fabric feels thinner, too_), and found that he could see her bones poking out from her skin. The mottled coloring of her arms appeared pastel-like in color, too, like somebody had painted her skin with watercolor.

"Keres?" Toby tried again, "Keres, wake up. Come on, you have to tell me what's wrong - wake up!" He shook her shoulders gently, trying to rouse her, but it didn't work. As a last-ditch effort to try and wake her, Toby even gave a sternum rub a try - doubting that it would actually cause her any real pain - and, much to his surprise, it _worked_.

She moved, and Toby looked at her face to find a bloody red eye staring at him, hazy and unfocused. The white gauze was gone, it had somehow fallen off. Toby grabbed her hand and gave it a squeeze, trying to offer up reassurance.

"Alex is coming. He'll fix whatever is wrong with you, okay?"

"Toby. . ." She rasped, her voice sounding like sandpaper, ". . . I can't. . ."

"Shh. Just try to stay awake, okay? Alex can't help you if you pass out again-"

"N-No. . ." She was whispering now, voice hardly audible. Leaning in, Toby tried to catch what she was saying, trying to understand what the hell was wrong-

A tendril of biomass snaked over his arm, searing hot and it scared the shit out of him. Jerking up, Toby tried to wrench his arm away, but she stayed firm, tugging him closer, where other pieces of biomass were beginning to form, reaching out to him-

"Keres!" Toby heard himself shout, (_"You'll be safe, here. Inside me_.") and her eyes snapped open, a hand coming up to shove his chest. She overestimated, and he flew clear across the room.

Toby's back made a hard impact with the wall, the back of his skull smacking against the plaster. His instincts saved him from falling on his ass, so he crouched there, trying to rid the world of black cobwebs for a few moments. The hairs on the back of his neck pickled, telling him danger was present, that he needed to look up and access the threat. He did, and found Keres kneeling on the bed, hands curled so tightly around the frame that it was starting to twist in her grip. Like some shadowy monster, the pieces of biomass swirled angrily in the air.

A hand grabbed him, yanking him up to a standing position, and Toby blinked, finding Mercer standing there, hood down, his eyes unusually serious.

"Get out, Toby," He said, voice filled with calm authority, "I'll handle this."

Glancing back to Keres, Toby found a glowing red eye staring at him from under that mess of hair, and his brain agreed with Mercer in that moment. She looked like she was a moment away from launching herself at him. So Toby went without a fight, keeping Keres in front of him at all times, refusing to show her his back. He was in the hallway, and he caught Mercer's eye, managing to say, just before the door closed in his face:

"Don't consume her."

The door shut, and silence reigned. Toby wasn't sure what the hell had happened, but it hadn't been Keres. She'd been acting strange all day, had collapsed onto the floor, even. If Alex's solution to the problem was consuming her, if he was going to put her down. . . _No. I have to. . . Trust him. Alex will find out what's going on._Dropping his hand from where it had been attempting to open the door, Toby took a step back and headed to the living room to stand by the window.

He was too jittery to sit down, a few pulses of adrenaline pumping through his blood. With Alex in the room now, it gave him time to think, to try to sort through what had happened. Had Keres just tried to. . . Consume him? Toby had seen Alex do the deed once, and those same black tendrils had wrapped around his victims. In a chorus of sickening pops and crunching noises, the target had disappeared from sight.

Toby never asked Alex how often he consumed people, or who he consumed. The man had a conscience - or so Toby liked to think - and he knew Mercer didn't just run around and eat random women, men, and children for the hell of it. He liked to stick to the military, to people who knew intel. But Keres. . .

She hadn't done any of that in the weeks she'd been there. _No_, Toby thought, _she's been cleaning, and giving me biomass transfusions._A theory began to form in his mind, tiny and uncertain, but there all the same.

_What if. . . She's starving? She's been expending biomass - Alex sliced her open that one time, and she's been giving me transfusions for over two weeks. Does that mean she has to consume people to survive?_The look in her eyes hadn't appeared to be Keres at all. And if that was the case, then her body had attacked him, hoping to consume him for emergency sustenance, and she'd shoved him away, trying to protect him. . . It was logical to assume, but he couldn't guess anything without Alex confirming his theory.

The door to the room opened, and Alex emerged, whole and unscathed. Toby turned to the man, finding some of the seriousness had faded from his expression.

"What the hell just happened?" Toby asked, to which Alex glanced at the door, which he'd shut behind him.

"She was going to consume you," He said, ". . . Reigned herself in before she could do anything. She didn't hurt you, did she?"

Toby glanced down at his arm, and he rubbed at the skin there. He might have a bruise the next morning, and a headache, but other than that, he was fine. Looking back at Alex, Toby shook his head.

"No. Shoved me into the wall, though."

"I'm not worried about your head. You could take a cinder block to that and it wouldn't do anything." He said, a smirk playing with his lips.

Of course. Trust the bastard to throw a quip in there.

"You truly are an asshole in these kinds of situations." Toby commented dryly, to which Alex smirked even more widely, and Toby rolled his eyes.

"I have to go out and get a target. You can leave the apartment, if you want." It may have been a suggestion, but from Alex's tone, Toby could easily tell that Alex wanted him to do that - to ensure his own safety. Glancing at the closed door, Toby was fairly certain that it would be the best thing, too. He may have fought with Alex on a wide variety of things, but when it came to viruses and their instincts, he had to trust that Mercer was the leading authority.

"What about her?"

"Restrained."

"Alright. . . Who. . . Are you going to get?"

"Somebody from Blackwatch, probably."

"Is it. . . For Keres?"

Alex nodded, "She hasn't consumed anybody in weeks, I'd guess. She's had to heal herself and you. . . For lack of better terminology, she's starving."

_Ah-ha. So us Marines aren't just a bunch of trigger happy assholes._

Toby nodded, before moving to collect a jacket and throwing it on. He was growing to like Keres, but if she was a virus starving for a food source, and he just happened to resemble her primary food group, it probably wouldn't be the best idea to be walking around her. Alex escorted him out of the door, but within seconds he was gone, a speck of a man running up a building and launching himself tens of feet into the air before dropping out of sight completely.

Toby went down to the street, and tried to move, to go somewhere else - but there wasn't anywhere to go. He made it a block away from the apartment building before he sat down on the curb, oddly. . . Melancholy.

He couldn't quite put a finger on his moods or his thoughts, so he sat there, plagued by notions of Keres dying. Of Keres, killing him. He didn't quite understand it, so he just stayed there, lost in an emotion he couldn't process - until his phone rang. Snapping out of his thoughts, Toby fished it out to discover that nearly an hour had passed - _didn't even notice _- and found Alex had sent him a text message telling him it was alright to come back.

Getting up, he made it to the apartment within a few minutes, and opened the door with only a small bit of hesitation. Primarily because he didn't know how to regard Keres - he didn't know if she'd be alright, or still locked in that I'm-going-to-eat-you-viral-mode-activate. But no. She stood there, in the living room, Alex close by, relaxed and at ease. Toby and Keres locked eyes, and he found they were puffy and red. She looked as though she were struggling with some kind of inner demon.

"I'm sorry - about earlier. I didn't mean to try to consume you."

"It's okay," Toby said smoothly. It hadn't been the first argument he'd been involved in with biomass wrapping around various parts of his body, "Probably won't be the last time biomass is involved. You stopped in time, didn't you? I'm still here, right?"

She nodded, but stared at the ground, her gaze so wracked with guilt that it almost made Toby wince. Surprisingly, it was Alex who spoke up next.

"You need to consume people. You can fight against it all you want, but it's part of who you are. If it makes you feel better, you can consume Blackwatch personnel."

"I don't. . . I don't want them in my head. I don't want to see their memories, or see what they've done! Some of them. . . Some of them-"

"Would you rather kill Toby, then?"

Her head jerked up at that, as though she'd just been slapped. She stared at Alex, eyes wide, and Toby could literally see the horror dawning in her eyes. A repeat of today, only she'd managed to succeed. A grudging anger came to life in her eyes, and - to his surprise - Toby found tears welled in her eyes.

"No. No, it won't. But I'm not like you. I won't let this happen again - but that doesn't mean I have to like it."

And, in a very uncharacteristic manner befitting Keres, she stomped down the hallway and into the room they'd set aside for her. The door slammed shut with enough force to shake the frame, and Toby stood there, feeling totally at a loss. He turned to Alex, who was shaking his head and regarding her act of defiance as though she were an idiot.

"She'll come around. . . You might have to bully her into it, though." Alex said, to which Toby shook his head in disbelief.

"Me? How the hell can I do that? I don't have freaky viral powers of mind control."

"She listens to you, that's why. And if she doesn't consume people, she'll starve, and we'll see repeats of what happened today. That's why. . . It doesn't have to be daily. Maybe monthly - maybe less. She doesn't use as much energy as I do."

This conversation was beyond surreal. Primarily because they were calmly discussing the deaths of innocent. . . Okay, no, wait. That wasn't true. 99.999% of people in Blackwatch were bloodthirsty assholes who cared nothing except the mission. Toby held no love for them - especially when they'd arranged deaths for Marines who had become infected, or suspected of being infected.

So, yes, maybe he could bully Keres into doing it. But not for revenge, he hoped. Purely for her survival.

"Strictly Blackwatch. At least they deserve to die."

But saying those words chilled Toby, down to his very core.

If. . . If he could calmly pass the death sentence on those humans whom he believed should die. . . Would he become one of them?


	9. Look For Clues About Your Past

**Disclaimer**: I do not own any part of the Prototype universe. All characters are property of those who own Prototype. If anybody tries to gain money off of this franchise - be forewarned. Alex Mercer _will _find you, and you may find yourself sharing the fate of Karen Parker.

* * *

**Title**: Infectum.

**Summary**: Blacklight is back. Toby Knight and Alex Mercer team up to uncover the source of the viral flare - and ultimately end up revealing more secrets from Blackwatch. Armageddon is a lot closer than anyone thinks. . . M/M, slight AU. Continued from Sanctum.

**Rating:** M. Finally upgraded it!

**Author's Notes: **I really am sorry that this arrived so late. I was moving, and then I enrolled myself in University, and I'm jobhunting. Here's hoping that I find one soon - I've already applied to 25 - strike that, at this time, it is now 40 places and counting. Going to make a few callbacks pretty soon and hope somebody decides to adopt me. D:

Action. Because I thought there should be some. So this chapter is full of it. I hope. I like to call it actionless action - don't worry, Toby will be getting down and dirty pretty soon. Things are about to start wrapping up fairly quickly! Ducky isn't going to be able to be my beta until October, so that means I'm beta-less. If there are any mistakes, please feel free to tell me!

Also, I've noticed every now and then I'll get a favorite or a story alert. Starting to creep me out a little bit, man. People actually _like _this. Duky's is way better than my story - but you should see her threaten me. It's ridiculous. Ducky, I swear I will keep writing, just don't kill me. I should go check out the stats. I haven't done that in months!

ALSO ALSO, I want to write silly things on this based on Toby / Keres / Alex's relationship. It's that "Second fic" I was talking about. I don't think I'll put it here, because I dunno. I don't want to. Should I put it on Livejournal and include a link for you guys? Maybe suggest some sites for me, if you'd be so kind. They'd be crack fics to funny fics to d'aww to depressing - one such reference is in the chapter below! I'd love to put up the drabble so you guys can get it!

**Warnings: **Cursing, because no Marine in his own right cannot go through a mission and not say the word _fuck_. Dramatic plot twist (lol not really), and people dying. Because Infectum isn't Infectum unless Blackwatch troopers die grisly deaths. Also, italics. Because talking through a Blackwatch mask makes you speak in italics, haha.

* * *

**UPDATE:**

****Those drabbles I was talking about? They can be located at:

All drabbles will be held under the title / tag:  
**On The Care And Parenting of Viruses.**

* * *

It only hurts just once.  
They're only broken bones.  
Hide the hate inside.

"Unknown Soldier" - Breaking Benjamin

* * *

The apartment complex was nearly silent, save for the sounds of Toby getting dressed. They were situated two miles away from the Blackwatch base they indented to infiltrate, and Toby was really fucking glad about it. He'd been tired of sitting around, waiting for something to finally happen - he was a solider, and much as he loathed to admit it, war had been broiled into his blood.

Keres was wonderful company, and nice to talk to, but Toby knew that he was itching to do more than just sit around, work out, eat, and sleep.

Pulling on holsters, he made sure that every aspect of his disguise was spot on. It was Blackwatch, after all, and they'd know something was amiss if so much as one of their buckles weren't fastened correctly. So he took his time putting on the uniform, checking and double-checking every aspect of it.

A muted thumping noise grabbed his attention, and Toby turned, facing a torn and crumbling doorway, leading deeper into the building. A thigh holster rested against his leg, threatening to slip off if he moved. In the waning hours of the day, the shadows and darkness stretched into the room, lending the entryway a dark and ominous feel.

"No!" A man yelled, voice bordering on a scream, "Fuck you! You fucking-" More thumping noises punctuated every word.

They were fighting.

Toby stood there, unsure of whether or not he should go in and help. Keres seemed new to fights, but she was a virus - any damage she took, she could easily bounce back from. Alex had given her a pretty nasty wound when they first encountered each other, and she'd recovered. So Toby just opted to stand there and wait, one hand on a gun, ready to intervene if the need arose. _I don't know if I'm glad, or I feel pity. . . _Dangerous thoughts to tread on, and they were becoming more frequent. Keres wouldn't consume anybody unless he gave the go-ahead.

What would they do when Blackwatch left Manhattan?

_Later._Thinking those dangerous thoughts later would be a good idea.

The soldier fell through the doorway, face first, taking Toby off guard. The gun was in his hands, and he trained it onto the soldier - who paid him no mind. The trooper was still for fractions of a second, and then he was thrashing, hands clawing and prying at the biomass that emerged from the darkness, and began to wrap around him. He tried to latch onto the rotting wood of the door frame, but not even that could save him.

The soldier's head tilted back as he tried to look for something that could aid him, and for a moment, they made eye contact. Toby stood there, imagining the man's face pulled into a hard expression of determination, or hatred. No tears. Blackwatch didn't have room for tears. _You're not human_, Toby thought, _the world is a better place without you in it._

A thick strand of biomass wrapped around his throat and pulled. The wood gave way, and the man sped into the darkness, where several sharp, disgusting cracks echoed through the room. Calmly turning his attention back to the leg holster, Toby cinched it, and then gave himself another brief glance-over to make sure everything was in its place.

Seconds later, the soldier stumbled through the door, hands on his head, clutching at his temples.

"Keres?" Toby asked, hesitant to approach her. It was stupid, but he was weary about her lack of control - he didn't know how she'd react to back-to-back consumptions. And Blackwatch soldiers, no less.

The man's spine arched, a low moan leaving him as he collapsed onto his knees. Biomass began to swirl around his body, and then Keres was there, one hand dropping to the floor to support herself. Her face was contorted into an expression of concentration and pain, fingers digging into her scalp, her eyes flickering rapidly behind closed lids.

"Keres." Toby said again, louder, more concern bleeding into his voice.

Alex had told him once that the people he consumed - especially strong-willed ones - sometimes tried to take over. Sometimes, when he was weak, they almost succeeded. Like an extreme case of multiple personality disorder - but the virus helped keep the unruly memories in check.

Keres let out another moan, so Toby chose to take a few tentative steps towards her.

"Keres, answer me." He snapped, hoping the tone of his voice might help snap her out of it.

She shuddered, but looked at him and grimaced.

"I'm not. . . Used to it - god, there's so much in my _head._" She pitched forward, folding in on herself so she could sit on the floor and hold her head in her hands.

Toby had watched Alex consume one or two people. Normally Alex tore into them (which was always disturbing to watch), and then he collapsed onto his knees - but he only took seconds to snap out of it. He'd get up, shake his head, and then he was back to Mr. Brooding and Glaring. Keres seemed to have a much more difficult time. _How often did they feed her? And what did they give her? _

Shaking off his hesitation, Toby crossed the room and knelt beside her, resting a hand on her back. Scorching heat sank through his glove.

"You still up for this? We can call Alex to figure something out." He offered gently, a part of his mind groaning and complaining. There was a a chance she might say no - and, much as he didn't like to admit it, Toby liked missions.

"No," She mumbled, "I just. . . Need some time. So much to go through. . ."

Toby gave her back a light rub, unsure of how to proceed. Calling Alex might only serve to agitate her (or make her angry), and doing absolutely nothing just didn't appeal to him. So he decided to just sit with her, rub her back, and hope she got over her mental hurdle soon. _It's weird_, he thought, _how close we've gotten in a couple weeks. But I like it. Closer than I can get to Mercer, I think. Sitting there and talking about emotions isn't our strong suit._

"How many did you have to consume?" He asked, hoping some conversation might help her.

"Four. . . One of them was a Commander, though." She said, voice sounding a little more steady.

"That'll come in handy, won't it?" He offered - and surprisingly, a small chuckle was his reply.

"Yeah. . . I feel better now." She said, sitting back up. Getting to his feet, he offered her a hand, which she took. Keres stood there a moment, raking fingers through disheveled blonde hair, and rubbed her temples again.

"Look on the bright side - you won't have to consume anybody for a while. That's a good thing, right?"

Keres mulled over that for a moment, and then nodded her head resignedly.

"I guess. . . I just don't like it. Knowing everything they've done, how they felt when they did it - but if it helps you, and keeps you safe, then I don't mind doing it, Toby."

Toby was steadily becoming used to Keres's protective ways - and he readily accepted them. Mercer preferred to keep him locked up in the apartment, where nothing bad could ever happen to him. And if Toby was being truthful with himself, he honest thought that Alex saw him as an object, sometimes, and not a person. But with Keres around, Alex relaxed his guard (if only slightly), knowing that another killer virus was in the vicinity.

Or, in Keres's case, one that would probably apologize if she murdered you.

And, unlike Alex, Toby could readily negotiate and deal with this one.

Keres was much more flexible when it came to what he wanted to do. He also knew that Keres would never lift a finger to hurt him - intentionally.

Giving her a pat on the shoulder, Toby moved back to his supply pile, and went about strapping the remaining knives and guns to his person. Blackwatch personnel were always armed to the teeth, although what a trench knife would do against a Hunter, Toby didn't know. _Knowing Blackwatch, they'd probably place a bet against a Heavy and see who could take it down first with the knife. . . _

"Toby. . . What do you think we'll find on the servers?" Keres asked, fiddling with her hoodie sleeves - a telltale sign she was nervous.

"I don't know," He answered honestly, "But if that message was anything to go by, then it's got to do with Pariah. Subject 002, right?"

"Yeah, that was the name they gave him."

"Then it means it'll be important for us to get it. Maybe something about you will be on there."

The entire reason why they were there. Blackwatch was making plans - and all of their attention had been diverted away from trying to recapture Keres, which was puzzling. In an effort to understand what was going on, Mercer had gone in and consumed soldiers, hoping to find out what was happening, but all he'd come up with was, "Blackwatch is currently redoubling efforts to ensure safety protocols were being followed."

. . . Which was vaguer than vague.

And then their laptop had come across and encrypted message detailing just where the information could be found.

Two servers, located in separate bases, roughly ten miles apart from each other. Alex had been all for getting the information himself, until he cracked open a few more minds and discovered the security protocols.

Both servers had to come online at the same time. If thirty seconds passed, and one of the servers didn't respond, the base would light up - which made it impossible for Mercer. While his stealth skills were unparallelled, he couldn't be in two places at once. The information was encrypted, too - with each half of it resting in both servers. Nobody could read the information without the other half. There were viral detectors - _and, _the servers were moved about in the server room every eight hours. They blended in among the countless stacks.

Only the technician responsible for their maintenance knew where they were - one of whom Keres had consumed earlier.

A one-man job was a no-go. But two teams?

Now, that sounded much better. And Toby was all for getting more action in.

He felt uneasy about it, though. The servers were located away from each other, with ridiculous protocols, and it reeked of a trap for Blackwatch to try and recapture Keres.

Hence their plan: hit up both bases at the same time. Keres had just had to consume Blackwatch techs to get a good grasp of their skill set. She had to hack their computers and viral detectors. Toby wasn't a slouch at getting into a computer or two, but for something as time-sensitive as this, they'd agreed to have Keres get the job done.

"I miss Pariah. . ." Keres said, shaking him out of this thoughts.

Flicking the safety off of the automatic that he carried, he was prepped and ready to go. Turning to Keres, he examined that forlorn expression - and though Toby wasn't an expert on matters of the heart, he had a strong sense that Keres and Pariah went deeper than 'friends.'

"You'll see him again," He said, "But in the meantime, we have an infiltration to carry out."

0000000000000000000000000000 0000000000000000000000000000 000000000000000000000000000

Toby made his stride short and brisk, and adopted a quick pace behind Keres, who had adopted the guise of a Tyler Darren.

All around them, Blackwatch soldiers were patrolling the base, caring for weapons, machinery, and ammunition stocks, and doing sweeps of the perimeter. For Toby, though, he felt tense, and his gut was knotted in a million places - it was like walking into the lion's den. But this lion was hypercritical of anything that entered. They were surrounded by enemies on all sides - one quick fuckup, and he'd be shot full of holes faster than he could blink.

He'd seen Mercer do something he called a patsy once.

It hadn't been pretty.

The pair of them looked like any patrol coming back into base - and indeed they were. Darren and his comrade had been two soldiers sent out to patrol the outer perimeter, with Darren scheduled to come back right then and now, so he could do scheduled maintenance on the viral detectors. Which made it perfect.

Approaching the checkpoint, Toby felt a brief moment of panic, which intensified as Keres stepped up to the sentry. A quick ID check - a flash of an ID card, which they'd lifted off of their victims - and she was in. Toby followed shortly after, half expecting the soldier to shoot him, but he was barely given a glance as the man waved him through. _Calm down, Toby_, he chided himself, _being antsy is just going to make you fuck up._

"_Okay, Toby_," Keres said, her comm coming to life, "_I need to go do the viral detectors now. Follow me to the first one - but I have to take care of the second alone. Look like you're patrolling the building, okay?_"

"_Got it_," He responded, voice barely above a murmur, "_. . . You sound so fucking weird right now._"

Keres's voice - light, airy, feminine - was coming from the body of a muscled, male soldier. It was just wrong. Keres gave a little chuckle, but then peeled off to the left, where the viral detector was waiting on the backside of the building. Toby slowed down, taking his time to inspect the walls, the floor, and the alley as Keres walked right up to it, and then slipped behind it. She was quick, hands lifting up a panel so she could access the control panels, and then she was exposing the wires of the machine, and working on it.

It gave a little chirp, and then quieted.

Replacing the panel, she stood up, nodded at Toby, and then disappeared, heading for the second viral detector. Time for phase two.

Toby continued his walk down the alley, looking bored and attentive at the same time - any soldier on patrol duty could emphasize. Most boring job in the universe. Time slowed down, with soldiers passing him every now and then, and he prayed that Keres would finish up soon.

"_Hey! Terrance - what the fuck are you doing down there?_" A voice called, and Toby turned to find another pair of Blackwatch soldiers approaching him.

Fuck.

Fuckfuckfuckfuckfuck.

He didn't know them, but they knew Terrance. _How the fuck can he tell him apart from the rest? Shit, fuck, what do I do, I don't know what rank he is_-

"_Terrance, you were scheduled for another patrol. What the hell are you doing?_"

Toby opened his mouth, and then snapped it shut. He would not sound like Terrance. _I'm going to die. _

"_Terrance? Why are you-_"

Both soldiers stopped, and then snapped off a quick salute. Toby turned sharply around and scrambled to do the same.

A Blackwatch Commander stood before them, head turning between the three of them.

"_Schedule changed, Fredrickson. If you read the notice board, you'd know that. Terrance doesn't answer to you. He answers to me. Understood?_"

"_Yes sir!_"

_Oh god, Keres, I love you so much right now._

Leisurely, she strode over to the pair, stopping in front of them and looking them up and down.

"_Get your sorry asses back out on patrol. Or do I need to file an Incident Report sheet on why I shot your ass?_"

"_No sir!_"

The two turned and ran, hightailing it out of the base. Keres turned back to him, and Toby stood at attention, still reeling at how weird it was. The Commander was a bulky man, with far too many muscles on his body, and it was just _weird _to see Keres as a man.

"_Terrance, follow me. You and I have business in the base._"

"_Yes sir!_"

Toby followed, relief pouring through him. His body was very nearly shaking from the almost tangibleness of it. _Oh, god, if Keres hadn't been there, I would have been dead._He decided he was going to have to reward her somehow - letting her watch horror movies sounded like a good idea. After the Patch Man incident, he'd completely banned her from them. Horror movies and junk food for saving his ass. Best reward ever.

Stopping in front of the door leading into the base, Keres punched in the security code, and the door beeped, signalling it was unlocked. Opening it, Toby followed her inside. The inside of the Blackwatch base was just as crowded as the outside, with the newest threat being the Black Ops soldiers. The jumpiest of all the damn Blackwatch troops - witht he exception of the Heavy troopers.

Keeping close to Keres, the pair of them made it across the hangar bay and into the control room, which would lead them further into the base. The two soldiers inside the control center paid them no mind as they rapped on keyboards, and kept a constant vigil on the camera feeds. Entering the door in the back of the room, they were greeted by an empty hallway - one that would lead them straight into the server room.

Keres started down the hallway, and Toby followed - and was promptly shoved into a maintenance room at breakneck speeds. He stumbled and hit the wall behind him, and it took all of Toby's power not to bite out a sharp curse.

Keres was there, fingers flying over a handheld piece of Blackwatch tech, absorbed into her task.

"_Sorry_," She said, "_There was only a couple seconds - for the blind spot. Looping the cameras now, give me another few seconds._"

"Try to warn me next time, alright? You gave me a good bruise. . . Again."

She paused for a moment, giving him a glance.

"_Sorry_." She mumbled, depression weighing heavily over her voice.

Toby just about kicked himself for that one. What had happened wasn't her fault, and she didn't understand that she had to let those things go. He didn't hold her responsible for it. A moment later, and she stowed the personal terminal and signaled to follow her once more. Toby did, giving his arm a tentative rub before he made his spine straight and his posture relaxed, but rigid with attentiveness.

It was just another hallway down to the server room, but the had to make sure they didn't run into any more soldiers.

And surprisingly, they didn't.

The door guarding the server room was a simple 4-digit combination (which also changed every eight hours), and they were in. As Keres moved into the room, Toby shut the door behind them, and then took a deep breath of air as he tried to dispel some of the lingering tension.

"Halfway home." He said, voice eerily loud.

A whirl of biomass, and Keres was standing there again, nodding her head.

"Almost. Let's get everything ready and wait for Alex's signal."

He nodded, feeling much more comfortable now that she hadn't assumed some random, muscle-headed military disguise. Keres didn't seem to have trouble with flipping back and forth from man to woman, but Toby noticed that she seemed to prefer the female sex to anything. It just seemed to fit her - as being a man suited Alex. Keres walked past the rows of servers, and almost at random, picked on at waist-height.

"You sure that's the one?"

"Yeah, I'm sure. Don't worry, _Terrance_," She snickered, "It's the one." She was focused on the server, plugging in a tiny keyboard and a flash drive.

"Bite me. . . Though I feel sorry for him. I got teased because of Knight, but Terrance? Talk about a rough childhood." He spoke, surveying the room.

Something on Keres's person beeped, and she nodded her head, beginning to type commands on the keyboard.

"This is actually kind of handy," She said, "I mean, the memories are bad, but the skills are kind of nice."

"A lot of people wish they had that ability."

"Mmm. . . Okay," She said, "The download is starting. We'll be done in about two minutes, okay? And then we can get out of here. . . This place makes my skin crawl." She said, giving a little shudder.

"You and me both. Let's hurry up and get back to the apartment."

Preforming another sweep of the room, Toby longed for the apartment. _That's how all missions work_, he thought bitterly, _you really want to go on them, and as soon as you do, you wish you were home._ With beer. Lots and lots of beer. Mark had always been there, too, to ask Toby how things had gone, if anything interesting had happened. . . _Miss you, bro._

Keres made a little noise - something between a squeal of delight and a chuckle - and then she was dancing around in front of him, twirling the flash drive between her fingers.

"Here, Toby! All done. Why don't you keep it?"

She stretched it out to him, dangling the thumb drive from the chain it was attached to -

And the door opened.

Toby snatched the flash drive out of her hand, tucked it into one of his pockets, and trained his gun on the intruder - all in the span of five seconds. The hairs on the back of his neck rose, and Toby felt his gut clenching up. _Something wicked this way comes_.

A Blackwatch soldier was there, wearing semi-casual BDU's, no helmet on, and a smile on his face. He had close-clipped brown hair, and a pair of green eyes that made Toby shudder. There was no limit to the wickedness and cruelty that was reflected there.

This soldier was bad fucking news.

"Oh, Seventeen. Not even a smile, or a hello? We're old friends. . . Or have you replaced me already?" He said, tone smug, head nodding to Toby.

Toby tried to fire on the man, but he moved, as if anticipating the attack. The bullets hit the servers harmlessly, and with astonishing speed, Jackson sped forward, nailing a solid kick right into Toby's gut, and sending the Marine sprawling onto the floor. Grimacing, Toby tried to get up to his feet, but he heard the sound of the door opening again, and soldiers were there, digging knees and elbows onto him and pinning him down.

Toby thrashed against them, but stilled when he realized it was useless. Through a gap in the tangle of arms and chests, Toby could see Jackson standing before Keres, who was looking between the two of them, shaking like a timid mouse, and gazing up at the man in fear.

"J-J-Ja-Jack-"

"Jackson, yes. I'm happy that you remembered my name, if nothing else. . . Who is your new friend, Seventeen?"

"Don't touch him!" She said, her tone a vicious snarl, but quickly tapering off as she flinched, as if expecting some kind of retaliation.

"Seventeen," Jackson said, his voice deadpan, "Are you not behaving? Do I have to go get the jacket?"

It was like he'd just mindfucked her. Keres's shaking redoubled, and she stumbled backwards a few steps, arms lifted as if to defend herself.

"No. No no no-"

"I will get the jacket, Seventeen. You've left me no other choice - just look at the mess you've made. You've killed a lot of innocent people. Not to mention my career. My superiors are not happy with me, Seventeen. How are you going to make it up to me?"

He took a step forward, pulling a knife from a sheath on his hip. Keres took a step backward, looking completely overcome with fear.

_Damn it. Damn it. DAMN IT. Move, Knight! Do something! Fuck, help her!_He started to thrash again, hoping for just a bit of leverage, but the barrel of a gun was placed against his head.

"_Don't move._"

Toby stilled again, shooting the nastiest, most evil glare he could conjure at the man.

"Oh, you care for him, don't you, Seventeen? What would you do if I let that soldier pull the trigger? Does he care for you the same way, I wonder?"

Keres let out a sharp cry as Jackson lunged forward with the knife, and slashed open the right side of her cheek. Giving her no reprieve, Jackson repeated it again, and again, filleting her face more with every slash.

"Stop. No, please." She begged, collapsing against the wall, hands covering her face. Biomass poured out from between her fingers.

"It isn't enough, Seventeen. It will never be enough."

And then Jackson turned, nodding at one of the soldiers above him, who passed a gun to Jackson.

"How did you like that bullet I planted in your head, Seventeen? Right in between the eyes. I thought it was quite becoming of you." And with a savage blow, he brought the butt of the weapon down onto Keres's head. And then a second time. A third. Fourth.

Stepping back, Jackson took a deep breath of air, and turned back to the pile of soldiers on top of Toby.

"Do it. Bag the body afterwards."

The barrel pressed more solidly against his temple, and this time, Toby really did see his life flash before his eyes. There was nothing he could do - again. He was rendered powerless.

A soft mumble broke the silence, and Jackson helped up his hand, stalling Toby's execution.

"Speak up, Seventeen. I want to hear what you have to say."

Another mumble, incoherent and muffled.

_Keres, please, I really need your help right now._

". . . don't know. . ." It was all Toby could make out, and it only served to irritate Jackson.

"Don't know what, Seventeen? Speak up! Do you have a voice at all?" Jackson snapped, bringing the gun butt down again.

Faster than he could catch, Keres caught it, fingers crushing it.

"I do have a voice! _Fuck you!_"

And she brought up her own foot and nailed Jackson in the gut, sending the man flying across the room. Yanking up a server, Keres threw it, nailing the men on top of Toby. They scrambled to train their weapons onto her, and Toby watched as several bullets riddled her body. Taking advantage of the confusion, Toby threw off the arms and bodies that covered him, and wrapped his hands around the head of the closest soldier next to him.

He twisted it, breaking the man's neck with a solid blow, and liberated his gun, shooting several more.

A klaxon began to sound off, and red lights flashed in the room. Soldiers scrambled to shoot Keres and Toby, and the Marine responded with equal hostility.

Another soldier next to him landed a solid punch into Toby's face, and he reeled backwards, feeling blood pulsing into his mouth. A knife flashed, and then they were on the floor, and Toby struggled to keep a hold of the man's wrists. The knife slowly began to inch closer to his throat, and Toby grit his teeth, pushing back.

Sharp claws wrapped around the man's head, and effortlessly lifted him off of his body.

"Don't fucking _touch him!_" Keres snapped, rage making every word carry a deadly edge.

And with brutal efficiancy, Keres ran her claws down the man's backside. Blood poured out of the gashes as he screamed and writhed in her grip - and in a move that baffled Toby, she set the man down. He staggered off, and then collapsed.

And then her body jerked as more bullets tore through her.

"Keres!" Toby cried, crawling forward to grab at her hoodie and tug her behind a server bank.

She laid there for a moment, shaking her head, but she appeared alright. Her face was fine, the biomass having knitted together earlier. Both of her eyes were glowing a bright, harsh red, and a expression unlike anything he'd ever seen before was on her face. Just as quickly, she jerked out of his hold, and launched herself at another soldier, taking him down the ground, claws raking over his stomach.

She started to eviscerate him, throwing bits of his body and chunks of his tac vest into the air.

_Is this what it looks like when she loses control_? _Oh god, it's getting everywhere_-

"Keres, we have to go! Keres! _Keres!_"

A loud, ear-shattering howl reverberated through the room moments later.

Despite the danger of their situation, Toby froze.

It was a fucking _Hunter. _

Men shouted orders, more soldiers filtered in the room - but it tore through all of them, tossing servers up into the air as it barreled through the ranks of men. Toby found himself shaking, and his side started to ache in pain as he remembered teeth clamping down, a head shaking him around like a rag doll-

Hands fell on him, and his first instinct was to kill whoever was trying to restrain him. He threw a strong, wicked punch right into their nose.

A blonde head snapped back with the force of the impact, and biomass started to leak out.

Keres. _I just socked her in the face, shit, I'm sorry - fuck. No time. Gotta go._

He grabbed her hand, and yanked them both onto their feet. The Hunter let loose another roar as it fell onto the soldiers, and Toby couldn't help but look at it. It wasn't a healthy shade of red and pink, but a dark, devil-red, and it was covered in mottled black spots, and it looked _wrong_- but then they were at the door, and Toby shouldered it open.

_Can't go out the entrance, fuck -_

Keres released his hand, went over to the wall, and promptly set to work with her claws. Within seconds, she'd made a hole big enough for the pair of them to get through, and he grabbed her hand again, tugging the both of them outside.

Soldiers were _everywhere. _Running into the building, running to the hole in the wall. Toby picked up the gun and fired at a few of them, trying to think of a plan, hoping that some option would present itself - an arm circled around his waist, and he had no warning before he weight airborne.

They rocketed up into the air, and Toby had to battle against the urge to throw up - and then they were falling, Keres absorbing the brunt of the impact on the rooftop. A rough jolt shook him, but then she was off again, running at a speed that made everything a blur. She hopped from rooftop to rooftop, putting distance between her and the base, until finally she landed on the street.

Toby tugged at her arms, and she released him.

With seconds to spare, he tugged off the gasmask, bent over, and threw up.

His eyes watered and his nose burned, but a hot hand came to rest on his back.

"I'm sorry, Toby."

"Lil' warning next time." He groaned, bracing himself against a building.

"No. . . I'm sorry."

Wishing he had something to wash out his mouth with, Toby scrubbed at his tongue with the sleeve of his uniform. Giving himself a few more moments, he straightened and found Keres there, eye slowly fading back to blue, tears gathering in them.

"If I hadn't. . . But he was. . .-" She shook again, that fear flashing in her eyes, before she buried her face in her hands and cried.

He hated it when she cried. It made him feel awkward, because Toby didn't know what the hell he was supposed to do. _You need to calm down, Keres. Now isn't the time for a freakout._Knowing that Blackwatch aerial drones could come at any moment, Toby hugged her, crushing her to him.

"It's okay. You can tell me about it when we get back to the apartment, okay? But we have to get there first. Pull yourself together. Then we'll talk."

She hugged him back, fingers digging into his vest, and then she nodded.

"Okay. . . Okay. L-Let's find a car. I don't think you want to freerun anymore."

His stomach rebelled at the thought.

"No. I don't."

They started to walk, Toby lagging behind slightly as the adrenaline began to wear off and the pain replaced it. Keres still looked like she was about to fall apart, but she kept it together, scrubbing at her eyes every now and then. It took well over ten minutes, but they finally found a car that was actually functional, and hotwired it. Toby drove, with Keres acting as protection detail - if anything tried to attack them, she'd be on it.

Toby knew he was absorbed in his thoughts, his body going on autopilot as he stared at the roads and drove, and Keres was much the same. The silence that settled over them was heavy, and the only piece of satisfaction Toby got was knowing that the mission had been successful.

Somewhat.

And the evidence of that was a flash drive that laid in his pocket.


	10. Biological Imperative

**Disclaimer**: I do not own any part of the Prototype universe. All characters are property of those who own Prototype. If anybody tries to gain money off of this franchise - be forewarned. Alex Mercer _will _find you, and you may find yourself sharing the fate of Karen Parker.

* * *

**Title**: Infectum.

**Summary**: Blacklight is back. Toby Knight and Alex Mercer team up to uncover the source of the viral flare - and ultimately end up revealing more secrets from Blackwatch. Armageddon is a lot closer than anyone thinks. . . M/M, slight AU. Continued from Sanctum.

**Rating:** M. Finally upgraded it!

**Author's Notes: **So how many months has it been now? Shhhhhh.

Don't tell me.

So, a lot of you are wondering, just what the hell were you doing?

Well, rest assured, I was working on Infectum. Just, in an incredibly roundabout way! Ducky and I began to roleplay, and that has become very fruitful in the formulation of several ideas, not to mention I got a _way _better handle on Toby! When I wasn't roleplaying, I was writing shameless fluff and prompt requests for her. She's pretty rad, man, so I couldn't help it. All she has to do is say please and I do it. ;=;

We also started goofin' off and dropping the boys into random universes. At last count, I've written them in, "The Crazies," the videogame "Left 4 Dead," a few "normal life where there are no viruses whatsoever and they're all normal people" oneshots, and finally, they were deposited into you follow the link, you'll be treated to one or two of them, but a good portion are just for Ducky.

If you want me to write something, however, don't hesitate to send in a prompt. Or just be like, "Angel. What are you doing? Angel, STAPH."

Just for the lulz.

I haven't played Prototype 2, so no spoily-oilies. I need to get that and play it. OTL

This chapter is more drama than anything, but I promise you, the action is going to rise up like a cobra, and the end of the story is just going to go, "WHAM BAM THANK YOU MA'AM." Again, if there are grammatical or spelling errors, just tell me and I'll be happy to edit.

**Please Note**: FF is kind of being an asshole. It keeps fucking up my stylistic choices (like italics). So if you notice something weird, please tell me, and I'll update it. It's hard to catch everything, I swear, ugh!

Also the other day I was like, "what are the stats on this thing?" Found out it's sitting pretty at 5k. And I hope Ducky likes where I'm going with this. ;D

**Warnings: **Cursing, another *gasp* dramatic plot twist, and the plot thickens, and more cursing. Because Toby has the mouth of the sailor.

Buckle your seatbelts, kids, the end is approaching.

* * *

**UPDATE:**

Those drabbles I was talking about?  
You can find the link on my profile.  
Fluff, awkwardness, plotbunnies, and all sorts of other nonsensical things. A lot of them were written for Ducky after random prompts were assigned.

* * *

In this cold  
Frigid and oh so lonely  
I'm slowly moving toward  
The center of a hostile world  
Unexplored and in need of  
More men like me to uncover  
What lies at its ends

"The Mapmaker" - Jamie's Elsewhere

* * *

Toby suppressed a groan, and instead set himself to scrubbing at the back of his neck with his fingers.

He was exhausted. Their run-in with Blackwatch had left him sore and bruised, and he was fairly certain he'd find some brilliant contusions on his body the following day. Getting elbowed and jostled around by men stronger than you did not a good evening make. He blew out a gusty sigh as he turned his attention to the man seated next to him, deft fingers diligently working on the keyboard. The steady _clack-clack _was rhythmic, and Toby glanced at the computer out of idle curiosity.

Lines of codes and other things he couldn't begin to decipher glared back at him, processing so fast it was almost nauseous to watch. Alex had beaten them back to the apartment, as expected, and had begun working on decrypting the information immediately. Toby had followed him into the room set aside for Blackwatch information, leaving Keres to her own devices in the living room.

He was positive Alex had noticed her crying - pretty fucking hard to miss.

But he hadn't said anything.

His eyes had briefly flashed when he'd taken in Toby's blood and gore-stained Blackwatch threads, but, again, he hadn't said anything.

"How'd it go on your end?" He asked, wanting his voice to break the silence more than anything.

"As planned." Alex replied, not even sparing him a glance.

Toby looked at his face, highlighted by the light of the monitor, and noticed that Alex seemed a little. . . Pale. And there seemed to be bruises under his eyes. _Those weren't there this morning. . . Probably lying to me, that son of a bitch. Wouldn't put it past him. Maybe he had to tackle a few Heavies?_

He debated bringing it up, forcing Alex to tell him the truth. But he was too tired, and the feeling of dried blood and. . . Other questionable things on his skin made him hesitate. He wanted a shower. More than that, he wanted to get into an outfit that was his own. Just wearing the Blackwatch uniform made his skin crawl.

"The alarm went off." Alex said, startling him.

Toby's mind flashed, remembering the scuffle in the server room, how the hands had shoved him down and a cold barrel had been pressed up against his temple. . . More than that, he remembered the Blackwatch man. Jackson. Keres had stared at the human with such open, dark fear, it had made Toby wary.

If she was petrified of a human, just what the hell was this Jackson capable of?

"It did." He said, dragging himself from his thoughts. There was no use in lying or denying it.

Alex finally looked at him, eyes flashing under the cowl of his hood, and he pinned Toby with a glacial stare.

"Did she fuck up?" He asked, tone even, calm. Underneath it, however, Toby knew that he was just looking for an excuse to bash her face in. Alex didn't like her, and Toby knew he probably never would. They were polar opposites.

Toby shook his head, staring right back.

"It was a trap, like we suspected. She got us out of it, though."

"So she fucked up." His voice was growing tense, now, and Toby heaved a sigh.

"Get off it, Mercer," Toby said, rolling his eyes, "I'm not going to fight about this right now. I'm going to take a shower, and burn this fucking thing."

He was too tired to start fighting about Keres's mistakes or lack of. He made it to the door, wrapped his hand around the handle, before the steady _clack-clack _faltered a second time.

"What happened?" Mercer asked, his tone soft. Toby stopped, hand still wrapped around the doorknob, and he thought back, remembering the wicked gleam in Jackson's eyes, the easy way he had carried himself. He had to close his eyes to block out the image of Keres's head getting bashed, over and over again, and the disgusting cracking noise that had followed.

He'd come seconds away from greeting death.

He could still feel the phantom pressure of that barrel, cold and icy.

"We got into the base just fine. Downloaded the data, and when we were gearing up to leave, some Blackwatch soldier walked in. Jackson. Keres was scared shitless of him, that was for certain. She managed to get over it, turned a few of them into Hunters. . ." His voice still cracked when he said the word.

Just remembering the beast brought back the sharp memory of teeth biting into his side and tearing delicate muscle and skin apart. . .

_Fuck, I'm just strolling down PTSD lane today._

Alex gave a grunt, and Toby opened the door.

"I'll see what I can find out." He heard Mercer murmur.

"Sounds good."

And with that, Toby stepped out into the hallway and closed the door, as softly and gently as he could.

He stood in the hallway for a good minute, trying to get a handle on his thoughts. Why would Blackwatch lay such an obvious trap? What purpose would it serve? What the hell was so important about that data?

He heard Keres in the living room, crying. It sounded muffled, as though she were shoving her face into the oversized sleeves of her hoodie, and it made Toby uneasy. He didn't like women crying. Not one bit. Both he and Mark had been raised to believe in the values of manhood - be strong. Never falter. And women needed to be protected. He didn't view them as inferior, but it was second nature to him now. Like how he'd hold open a door for someone, he'd just as easily stand in front of a female and take a bullet for her.

_But she's not human_, a snide voice in the back of his mind offered.

"Just stop it, Toby," He grated, forcing himself to the bathroom, "Just stop thinking. Now."

He closed the door behind him, and shucked his clothes in approximately five seconds. Toby stood in the shower and cranked the heat up as high as it would go, and though it scalded his skin, felt like liquid fire, he relished every second of it. The water below him turned pink and brown as blood washed off his body. He scrubbed at his skin, hard and fast, to rid himself of the feel of the battle, and the uniform he'd been forced to wear.

It felt as though with every second under the burning spray, he regained a little more of himself.

* * *

Toby felt as though he'd been reborn when he emerged from his room. He was dressed in a simple white shirt, old, weathered jeans, the thickest, most comfortable socks he had, and his own boots. He stretched, ignoring the sting of bruises, and let loose a contented sigh.

_Yeah, pretty much the best fucking feeling ever_.

Though his skin now carried a slightly pink and red tinge, and his mouth had been scrubbed to hell and back, he found he didn't really care. He had rid himself of the Blackwatch sludge that had covered his body, and now he was ready to tackle the world again. His first mission of priority: made good on his word and talk to a certain virus that was currently crying the living room.

Steeling his nerve, and finding renewed strength from his shower, Toby walked into the living room, and saw Keres seated on the couch, staring at the floor. Her cheeks were pale, and those same, dark purple bruises were pressed under her eyes. Both of her eyes were puffy and bloodshot, and it appeared that she hadn't stopped crying. Her expression was faraway, glassy-eyed, and filled with pain. Tears streaked over her cheeks, unchecked, and it appeared it didn't bother her when they dripped from her chin.

It wasn't the crying that bothered him, so much as that expression.

He'd worn it many times himself, when he'd come back from the war. The memories and screams had been so powerful that he'd curled up into a ball, dug his fingers into his scalp, and wished it would all go away. There had been visions of children wearing bombs dancing in his head, the angry faces of men who killed in the name of religion, and shortly after that, horrendous monsters slaughtering his friends and family without a second thought.

Mark had understood. He'd been there. Those first few weeks, his brother had held him wordlessly, and Toby had let Mark keep him together. If he didn't have the strength to do it, he'd rely on somebody else to do it for him.

He cleared his throat, announcing his presence, and Keres blinked, before slowly lifting her gaze to meet his own.

"Hey." He said, tentatively.

"Hey." She parroted, before dropping her eyes again.

Toby stood there for just another moment before crossing the room to sit in the chair across from her. She seemed completely oblivious to his being there, and seemed content to stare at the floor. Her countenance bothered him. He was used to seeing the bubbly, goofy grins on her face, and the sparkle in her eyes when she looked at him and laughed in amusement. He wasn't used to this Keres - depressed, and wracked with an inner torment.

When the silence stretched on, Toby heaved a mental sigh. _Looks like this isn't going to get talked through unless I keep poking her_.

He leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees.

"So. Want to talk about it?"

"About what?" She echoed, voice still sounding distant.

"About him. That man. Jackson."

She flinched at his name, and a bitter smile twisted up on her lips. She scrubbed at her eyes with the sleeves of her hoodie, and her expression turned sour.

"You want to know about him? What do you want to know? I know e-everything about J-Ja-. . . Him."

"Hey, I'm just trying to help here," He said, slightly stung, "I'm not gathering intelligence."

Regret flashed across her face, and the bitterness died. She continued to stare at the floor, a tear occasionally slipping out, and it made Toby visibly uncomfortable. He kept shifting, wishing that she'd stop, because, goddamn, he hated it when women cried. It was the most surefire way to rip him apart inside, and feel like a total dick.

Even if it wasn't his fault.

"Jackson," She said, quietly, "Was my jailer. I've been alive for a long time, and I've had a lot of personal guards. . . But he was different. He wasn't scared of me, like the others were. He's not like the others. There's something in his head. . ." She trailed off for a moment, worrying her cheek, "He thinks I'm inferior. Like some kind of creature that needs to be dissected.

"Maybe that was it. The root of my problem. That's the. . . the power he has over me. I'm better than he is. In every way. But somehow, he's still able to beat me. When I was younger, I infected everybody I touched - happily. So they made this. . . This _thing_. It has buckles and straps and open ports for them to stick needles in. . . I call it the Jacket.

"I didn't want it. But Jackson came into my cell one day with it. I tried to infect him, to break him, but when I touched him, he shot me. It hurt so much I fell on the floor, and then he grabbed a knife. I don't remember anything beside the pain, that day. And when I woke up next, I was strapped into the Jacket."

Toby was silent, soaking it all in. It made a little bit of sense now - he could understand just a facet of what he'd seen in Jackson's eyes. If beings like Keres were so powerful, how were simple creatures such as humans able to keep them locked up for years and years?

"He was there," Keres continued, "Every time I tried to break free. He beat me, shot me, stabbed me, cut off my limbs. . . Year after year. And I gave up. Eventually, I had so many drugs in me, I couldn't even think. . . So now you know."

Toby watched as she looked down at her arms, and her mottled skin stared back at her. She flexed her hands, brick-red coloring shining in the light.

"I'm sor-"

"Don't," She snapped, voice filling with a dark rage, "Don't say sorry. You can't say sorry, because it won't make it better. Can you imagine? Years. I spent years holding myself, locked inside of a cell. My world was glass walls and cameras. They were just human - _you _are just a human. And yet you managed to lock me up. For _years_, you had power over _me_."

She was glaring at him, her blue eye changing color, threatening to wash out to a bloody red to match her second.

He'd never seen this side of her before. Sure, she was pissed when they were fighting Blackwatch troops, but her anger hadn't been directed at him. Her darkness was unexpected, and if he was being honest with himself, incredibly wary. Though it shamed him to admit it, he would have felt a million times more comfortable if he had a gun in his hands in that moment.

Every muscle in his body was tensed as he stared at the human-turned-virus before him.

_She's still Keres. Just focus on that_.

"You're right," He replied, "I won't be able to understand."

She quirked her head slightly, and the blue returned to her eye as she stared at him, curiously. He had expected her to jump up and start screaming at him, but she was quiet, and waiting for him to continue.

"I don't think I'll ever be able to understand. Nobody can. But you don't understand humans very well, either. The Blacklight Virus tore through everything I ever loved like paper. My life was wrecked in a second, and I couldn't do a damn thing about it. You and Alex have so much power, and we don't. I don't think you can comprehend how utterly overwhelming and frustrating that can be. The thought that with a single flick of your finger, you can kill a man, and we wouldn't be able to do anything to stop it."

She was sullen as she dropped her eyes back down to the floor, and Toby remembered the day that Mark had died. In an indirect way, it _had _been Alex's fault. Toby honestly believed, in a small part of his mind, that he still blamed Alex wholeheartedly for it.

"There are times I want to be a human," She said, eyes filling with pain again, "But I'm just a virus pretending to be one. Everything I have in me - it's all faked."

"You are a virus - there's no disputing that. But you've saved my life twice now. . . If you don't have any humanity or compassion in you, you would have just let me die."

She rubbed her hands together, looking uncertain.

He reached forward and caught one of her own, ignoring the way she instinctively tried to jerk it out of his hold. A moment later, a fierce shiver crawled through her as she looked up at him.

"If it means anything, I think everything you went through made you more human than anybody I know." He gave her hand a small squeeze, and was relieved to find that Keres smiled back at him. She tugged her hand back and wiped at her eyes, heaving a gusty sigh.

"I didn't know you were so poetic." She said, and Toby felt his cheeks heat for a moment.

He the back of his neck lightly, praying she didn't notice how abashed he was.

"Might be a Marine," He mumbled, "But I like to read. Can't be a stupid boot all the time. C'mon. Let's sit on the couch and watch Discovery or something until Mercer's done."

Keres nodded her head eagerly, and Toby was relieved. One virus solved, another virus to go negotiate and talk to to go. But that slaying of a colossus could wait until he was ready to undertake it. Toby got to his feet and went into the kitchen, grabbing two water bottles for the both of them before joining her on the couch. She'd already turned on Discovery, which, early on, Toby had found to be her favorite channels of all time. She loved learning a little too much, and would readily sit and stare at the screen for hours on end.

Video games were to preteen boys what Discovery Channel was to Keres.

Seating himself beside her, time began to pass as the pair of them became absorbed in some documentary about - ironically enough - the flu virus. Toby didn't mind, and either did Keres, apparently. She made a pretty good couch buddy, actually. And like Mercer, she radiated a comfortable heat, but today she seemed to be blasting more heat than usual. _Power goes out, I could just use the both of them as space heaters. . ._

That train of thought died quickly as he imagined Mercer running his hands under the lip of his shirt, eyes glowing in the dark, blunt fingernails running over scarred skin - and Keres watching from the foot of the bed and innocently saying, "_Are you two going to wrestle again? Toby, you've been losing an awful lot lately._"

He snorted, unable to suppress the chuckle, and Keres looked at him curiously, but he shook his head. She looked as though she wanted to say something, but her eyes flickered to behind them, and she lifted the remote and shut off the TV. Toby turned, looking at Mercer standing in the hallway, his hood down.

The man stood with a laptop in his arms, but he appeared. . . Haggard. Worse than he'd just seen him. _It's only been an hour, two tops. What the hell?_

Toby got to his feet and Keres followed, looking apprehensive.

"Cracked it?" Toby asked, feeling his stomach tensing. They were about to find out if their efforts had been worth it. If he'd almost died saving some valuable piece of information.

"There's only a data file." Mercer supplied, fingers scrolling on the touchpad as he held the laptop.

"All that for a single file?" Toby asked. _God, what a rip_. He'd almost died for a tiny scrap of info?

"What's it say?" Keres asked, anticipation rising in her voice.

"It declares Pariah captured and detained."

Alex delivered it clinically, and shut the laptop. Toby didn't understand what was so ground-breaking about that statement. He knew about Greene, and he knew about Pariah. He knew that Pariah and Keres had been close, and shared most of their time in captivity together. He knew that Mercer considered Pariah a threat, something to be killed, but Toby was withholding judgement. If the Blacklight Virus could spawn people like Alex and Keres, then Pariah might not be as evil as Mercer thought. Alex was examining the petite blonde next to him critically, and he turned to do the same.

Keres looked shell-shocked, her eyes wide. A moment later, it turned to horror.

"We have to go rescue him. Where's the base?" She said the words in a rush, almost frantic.

"Keres," Toby said, "I don't think-"

"_No!_" She said, whirling to face him, "Alex would come for you if Blackwatch had you! He would! I have to go save Pariah!"

_I sincerely doubt that, but alright_, he thought wryly. Alex tucked the laptop underneath his arm calmly, gaining Keres's attention.

"I'm not telling you, because we're not going after him."

Keres's eyes narrowed, and her body shimmered. Toby took a step backward, fearing that biomass would burst out of her body and strike him. Wouldn't have been the first time he'd been smacked or nearly stabbed by writhing black and red tentacles. Toby felt his skin crawl as she took a step forward, both of her eyes glowing a harsh, sickening red in the space of a heartbeat.

"Tell me," She said, darkly, "Or I'll find out myself."

The threat was stark, clear, and in-your-fucking-face. Inwardly, Toby was somewhat impressed with her. She never openly threatened Mercer, and Toby had never seen her like this. Her bitter sullenness just a few hours ago paled in comparison to her anger then and now. Normally she was meek and bubbly and just. . . Keres.

Now she was pissed off and didn't seem to give a flying fuck.

"If you try, I will stop you. That abomination can die. I'm not having another Greene walking around. Discussion ended."

In response, Keres stalked forward and made a reach for the laptop. Alex slipped it out from her her hand and held it away from her, agile and quick. Keres attempted to go for it a second time, but Alex held it away from her again. She growled, and her arm morphed at lightning speeds. A strand of biomass attempted to wrap around the computer, but Alex snatched it and held it in the air.

"Okay, that's enough. We don't have to fight-"

Alex squeezed the laptop, and it shattered into a million pieces.

_Oh._

Oh shit.

Alex you motherfucking bastard!

Keres stood there, looking shocked again, and unholy rage made her eyes damn near pink. She let loose something akin to a screech, but it was laden with fury. She moved, checking Alex in the stomach with her elbow. Mercer smacked against the wall, and the tentacle he was holding wrapped solidly around his neck.

"_Tell me where he is or I'll consume you myself!_" She was yelling, her voice a low, guttural growl, and Toby felt a shiver crawl down his spine as Alex's eyes began to wash out.

"Give it your best shot." Mercer snarled back.

With sharp _shing_, claws sprouted where his hands had been, and he sliced through the tentacle holding him. He lunged forward, attempting to gouge open her stomach. Keres hopped back, and her own hands transformed, slightly smaller claws meeting his as he swung at her. Both of them glared, snarls on their faces. Their blades clattered as armor and metal rasped together, and their arms shook with the strain of pushing against the other.

_Oh shit. This is going to get ugly._

Keres was out for blood, and all Alex needed was an excuse.

"Enough!" He barked, "Break it-"

Keres twisted, somehow lifting up her leg and nailing Mercer in the kitchen. She cried out again, a mixture of a war cry and a banshee's scream, and followed Mercer, biomass erupting out of her back with a sickening tear of muscle and bone, and she tried to jump on top of Mercer to begin consuming him. Mercer twisted, and the kitchen suddenly became a cyclone of destruction. Wood and appliances shattered and broke on impact as they wrestled, trying to gain the upper hand, and Toby stood there, following their path of destruction. He yelled at them, trying to get them to stop, but his cries fell on deaf ears.

Keres finally managed to get on top of Mercer, and that biomass stood at attention, readying to stab him and pin him down (fear made Toby's blood run cold at the thought of Mercer dying), but Alex grit his teeth and gathered his feet underneath him and kicked - and Keres was flying through the ceiling, breaking wood and plaster as she went sailing to the roof.

He rolled, staring at that hole, and crouched.

"Alex! _No!_" Toby screamed, running at him. He jumped, attempting to tackle the other man, but Mercer sprang up through the hole, following Keres to the roof. Toby crashed against the floor a split second after he'd jumped, but instantly rolled to his feet and sprinted to the stairwell. He could hear the crashes and almost-deafening _boom, thud, crrrk! _as they fought. He took the stairs two at a time and threw open the door leading to the room.

Most of the roof had already been decimated, and most of his equipment lay in tangled ruins around them. Thick, ropy strands of biomass laid everywhere, and both Keres and Alex were bleeding from their arms and their backs.

"_I won't let you stand in my way!_" She snarled, and launched herself forward. Alex's blades changed, and heavy fists the sizes of boulders came to life on his hands. He swung, catching Keres mid-leap, and used his and her motions to shove her down onto the roof. It buckled, forming a crater, and Toby wobbled as it threatened to cave the entire roof in.

"Enough! Both of you, cut it out! Alex, back the fuck off-"

One of the fists disappeared, and his blade popped into place.

He lifted it up high, a dark smile on his face as Keres writhed underneath his hand, trying to free herself.

"_Alex! No!_" Toby was running forward, intent on stopping him before he slaughtered the girl, decapitated her-

More biomass erupted out of Keres's back, a thick strand curling out from the base of her spine. It wrapped around Alex's leg and _pulled_, sending his strike wide. Keres rolled, coming to her hands and knees, but that biomass waved in the air behind her, forming and shaping into a sharp, serrated, metal tail. It thickened and lengthened, coming to roughly six feet in length and a foot in width. Armor formed over her feet and legs, sharp claws with glimmering metal talons. Blonde hair fell into her eyes, glowing red and narrowed on her target.

She launched herself, tail churning in the air around her, a claw raised over her head to bring down on Alex, and Mercer morphed the fist back into claws of his own. He reached up, intent on snagging her around the middle and holding her down while he ripped off her head with his blade-

But they stopped.

Toby stood there, heart hammering in his chest as both of them were frozen. He couldn't see Alex's face, or Keres's, and they were just _frozen_. He could see Alex's blade, posed just a centimeter away from her neck, but he hadn't sliced off her head. As though he were moving through ice, Mercer released her, as though they hadn't just been fighting, intent on killing each other. Keres's feet touched the rooftop, and she wobbled, her newly-formed tail dropping onto the ground with a noisy rattle.

A moment later, she dropped like a rock, face-planting right onto the rooftop.

"Keres! _Keres!_"

Toby was at her side in a second, grabbing her shoulders and rolling her over- and found her still.

Her mutations cracked, and fizzled away, like they hadn't even existed. Sightless red eyes stared up into the sky, glassy and faraway. Toby checked for a pulse, and then bit out a strong curse at remembering she didn't have one, and patted her cheek, trying to get a reaction out of her.

"Keres, Keres, look at me. What's wrong? Alex," He snapped, "What did you _do_?"

She coughed, then, and Toby looked back down at her and found biomass was bubbling and dripping out of her mouth. It was so dark and thick it looked like oil, and she coughed and spluttered as she tried to breathe around it. Toby searched for an injury, something to indicate what Alex had done, but he failed to find anything. He snapped his head back, intent on screaming at Mercer to fucking fix her. . .

And found Alex slumping onto his knees.

They made eye contact for all of two seconds before Alex coughed, and the same black sludge began to swell and drip from his mouth. He pitched forward, hitting the wreckage of the roof before Toby could catch him.

He stared in a combination of horror and shock as both of the viruses rasped, trying and failing to breathe around the black gunk. Though she didn't seem lucid, Toby squeezed Keres's hand and left her to join Alex. He rolled him over, and found the same, unseeing gaze staring at the sky above them. Unsure of their injuries, Toby began to shake Alex's shoulder.

"Alex. Alex, answer me. What the fuck is going on? _Alex!_"

Mercer didn't reply. Not even when Toby leaned forward and applied his entire body into a sternum rub. Both of the viruses just laid there, trying to breathe and choking on the black tar.

_Ragland. Go get Ragland_. _Phone's on the cradle._

He was on his feet in a millisecond.

"I'll be back!" He said, fear leaking into his voice. Toby did his best to hold the panic back - he was a soldier. He didn't have the time to feel useless, frivolous emotions like panic and desperation. And yet, here he was, tamping them down while they threatened to claw their way free. He threw himself into the stairwell again, and was inside of the apartment a second later, scanning the living room for the phone. He lunged for it, and his thumbs started pressing fucking buttons before he could tell them to stop, knowing that time was of the essence, he couldn't make mistakes-

And the TV came on.

Toby startled, turning to face it, and found the smiling visage of Jackson staring back at him.

The Blackwatch soldier was sitting in a chair, and his hands were clasped neatly in front of him. Those green eyes stared at Toby, reflecting a hidden smugness.

"_Hello, Toby Knight_," He said, quite amiably, "_I understand that, as I speak, you are probably holding a phone in your hand, a thumb just about to hit the 'call' button. I would strongly advice against that. We have soldiers set outside of Ragland's hospital, and should he attempt to leave, he will be shot_."

Toby hesitated, and Jackson paused, eyes crinkling as he smiled.

"_I'm not lying, Knight. You know I'm telling the truth. I also know that, right now, at this very moment, you're panicking. Both viruses have collapsed, and are coughing up dead biomass tissue, which sent you to get the phone in the first place_-"

"You _bastard_." Toby breathed. It had been planned. Engineered.

But how?

How did Blackwatch manage to get the both of them. . .

_They're not dead, they're not dying, fuck, fuck fuck fuck_-

"_-rest assured, Toby, that they're not dead. . . Not yet, anyway. Blackwatch has the capability of repairing the damaged Blacklight tissue, and I'm sure you can understand what this implies._"

The smile grew, that smugness flickering strongly in his eyes. He looked like some wolf, just waiting for him to realize that he was fucked, and then he'd grin and bare those fangs and sink them into Toby. The Marine closed his eyes and took in a deep, shaky breath. The phone creaked in his hand as his grip tightened, and he could feel his knuckles going numb.

"_That's right, Knight_," Jackson all but purred, "_Here is the address where we can be reached. I'd hurry if I were you. . . Seventeen and Zeus_ _don't have much time._"

And the Blackwatch trooper's body flickered away, replaced by a simple black background and white letters proclaiming the address. Toby knew it. It was down by the pier, by the docking warehouses. Ironic. Didn't that happen in every mobster movie ever made? "_Go down to the pier, Johnny'll meet ya there_."

The screen powered off, but that hardly mattered.

It cracked and shattered into a million pieces as Toby threw the phone at it.

* * *

"Come on, baby, it's okay," He said, soothingly, "I've got you - I know, I'm sorry. I'm sorry."

Toby picked Keres up tenderly, his heart skipping a beat as she offered a agonized moan. She was light, and weighed next to nothing. She was pale, and breathing fast and hard, her face flushed heavily. That black shit kept bubbling up from her mouth, and Toby didn't bother to suppress a shiver as it dribbled onto his arm and over his skin. She cracked her eyes open as he walked, ensuring not to jostle her as he slowly made his way out to his truck.

"Wha. . . T-Toby?" Her voice was weak, and she sounded confused.

Toby shot her a smile, easily and calmly.

"It's okay. I'm just going to go take you to Ragland, he'll fix you up. Okay?"

Her features smoothed out as utter trust flooded her eyes, and she closed them again and leaned her forehead against his chest. Inside, Toby felt his heart shattering. _I'm so sorry. _

"I d-don't feel good." She mumbled.

He got down to the street, and through some black magic, managed to maneuver the truck door open and place her in the backseat of the cab. He laid her down, sacrificing his camo jacket as a pillow. She loved the damn thing. Keres, over the time that he'd known her, had become notorious for sneaking into his room and stealing his clothes. He honestly didn't understand why, and after the first few times, it had actually become a game he'd enjoyed playing. He crafted new hiding spots, and she eventually discovered them and stole his clothes to wear again.

Keres didn't even notice when he gently extricated his arms and closed the truck door softly.

He turned and made his way back into the apartment, and found Mercer in the living room (where he'd relocated the both of them in his frantic attempt at planning his next move - he couldn't just leave them on a _rooftop_), struggling to sit up. He kept scrubbing at his mouth, but it was a feeble effort, as more and more of the black tar kept trickling over his lips. Upon seeing Toby, his eyes focused slightly, and he stared at the Marine.

Toby came beside him, and wrapped an arm around his waist, and hooked the other over his shoulder. Mercer, weak as he was, refused to be carried.

"C'mon," Toby coaxed, "You can sit in the truck. Sleep on the ride over."

"Ragland?" Alex asked, having difficulty supporting his head.

"Yeah. Already called him." Toby replied.

He hoped Alex didn't notice how his voice cracked.

He didn't have a choice. In the thirty minutes he'd spent finger-fucking around, Alex and Keres had gotten worse. Black, decayed veins had spread under their skin, and more and more of the black shit kept pouring from their mouths. Toby knew Jackson hadn't lied - they were running out of time. They were walking, talking viruses. And somehow, Blackwatch had poisoned them. He didn't claim to know an awful lot about Blacklight viruses, but he knew that they were dying. With the right toxins, it was possible. Alex had told him of a time where he'd needed Ragland's help in forming an antibody to Bloodtox.

But Ragland was under surveillance.

And that left him with only one option.

Toby helped Alex into the passenger seat of the truck, and making sure the man was buckled in, Toby slid into the driver's seat and started the vehicle.

He drove. He didn't stop, nor did he hesitate. Alex was too out of it to keep track of where they were going, and Keres appeared to be asleep in the backseat. But Toby drove onwards, knowing he only had one option left to him. He prayed along the way, wishing and hoping that whatever deity was listening would take pity on them all and help him get his family out of this.

He almost chuckled at that.

Fuck.

_Fuck me._

He'd lost everyone he'd ever cared about. Mark. Cavin. Scott. His entire fucking team. And through all of the trials and hardships, he'd found Alex. And, later on down the road, another virus with blonde hair. And they were a family. A dysfunctional, easily breakable family, but which one wasn't?

And maybe that's why a single, frustrated tear crawled down his cheek.

If they were his family, then why did Toby feel like he was handing them over to a kill squad?

The drive was fucking short.

It hadn't even been that far away.

Immediately, he saw the bulky vehicles of Blackwatch transports, and a squadron of the fuckers were assembled in a rough semi-circle as Toby drove up onto the pier. One of them waved for him to stop, and he did so. He turned off the truck, and tucked the keys into his pocket. He had no fucking idea how this was going to go, but he hoped it went easily. Nicely.

Alex and Keres would get better. Blackwatch wouldn't want them to die. They needed the viruses for some ungodly reason.

He swallowed past a thick tightness in his throat as he got out of the truck, and moved to Alex's side. None of the Blackwatch soldiers said anything as he coaxed a drunken-like Alex out of his seat. He got the man to stand against the side of the truck, and he heard a decidedly familiar, smug voice call out into the air.

"Hello, Toby. I knew you'd make the right choice," Jackson said, voice echoing in the air around them, "If you'd be so kind as to escort the first virus towards the Blackwatch troops?"

Toby gritted his teeth, but did it. He held Alex tenderly, silently willing the man to understand that he was doing what was best for them, he really, really was-

Several soldiers swarmed over him in a heartbeat, and Toby stilled, fear pumping through him, but they just ripped Alex away from him and held some kind of high-tech injector up to his throat. Before Alex even knew what was going on, he was out cold, and being carted to one of the transits. Toby got the glimpse of some kind of holding tank, he turned as he saw a figure standing there, hands clasped behind his back.

Jackson looked at him and smiled.

Toby resisted the urge to go over, steal a knife, and punch it through his skull.

"Excellent. Now, do the same for Seventeen."

_It's okay. Everything's going to be okay. It'll all turn out alright_.

Breathing in steadily, it took every ounce of training that Toby had not to break down and just go fucking crazy. He opened up the backseat of the truck, and found Keres stirring, eyes cracking open. Toby didn't trust himself to speak as he began to extricate her from the back of the truck. And Keres didn't fight him. He helped her get to her feet, and she looked around, head swaying slightly, and her eyes landed on the Blackwatch troopers.

Fear rippled through her, and she shrunk into him, weak fingers clutching at his shirt.

"T-Toby?"

Words stuck in his throat, and he just held her, fighting back tears. Fuck. _Fuck it all to hell._

Blackwatch soldiers detached, and much in the same manner, grabbed for her. Keres gave a weak cry and battled against them, fighting for all she was worth. Toby moved, trying to help her, unable to stand by any longer, but hands locked over him, and somebody kicked out his legs, forcing him to his knees.

"Stop! No! No!" She wailed. Through her struggles, she turned, and through some miraculous twist of fate, she locked eyes with Toby again.

"I'm sorry," He said, tears welling in his eyes, "I'm sorry!"

He could see the thoughts flashing through her mind.

_You betrayed me._

_You gave me back!_

Somebody stepped in front of him, and he lifted up his head to find Jackson standing over him, heaving a sigh as he toyed with another injector.

"Oh, Knight. Knight, Knight, Knight. You've grown emotionally attached, haven't you?"

Red clouded his vision, and he lunged forward, fighting against the hands and the arms holding him down. He was going to tear out Jackson's throat was his own fucking hands, goddamn it. This was all _his fault! _He was going to have to suffer through somebody taking everything he loved again, and it wasn't fucking _fair_-

Jackson grabbed his chin, holding him as though he were some insolent child.

Toby heard a small _hiss, _and a needle pierced his neck. His heart as thundering in his chest, but seconds later, the world was spinning around him, a kaleidoscope of colors and shapes. Jackson stood there, a grin illuminating those wicked green eyes, and he heard him chuckle as everything began to cascade into darkness.

"_Don't worry, Toby_," Jackson's words echoed in the void, "_We'll fix them. And we'll fix you, too_."

A second later, and the world slipped through his fingers.


	11. A Dream of Armaggedon

**Disclaimer**: I do not own any part of the Prototype universe. All characters are property of those who own Prototype. If anybody tries to gain money off of this franchise - be forewarned. Alex Mercer _will _find you, and you may find yourself sharing the fate of Karen Parker.

* * *

**Title**: Infectum.

**Summary**: Blacklight is back. Toby Knight and Alex Mercer team up to uncover the source of the viral flare - and ultimately end up revealing more secrets from Blackwatch. Armageddon is a lot closer than anyone thinks. . . M/M, slight AU. Continued from Sanctum.

**Rating:** M. Finally upgraded it!

**Author's Notes: **So, here we go. The second to last chapter.

Spoiler alert: There may or may not be an epilogue.

Who's excited? I know Ducky is. I'm stoked because, another spoiler alert, this will actually be the first story I'll have finished. Yeah, I know it's taken me like. . . coughcoughthreeyearscoughcough, but Rome wasn't built in a day. Still need to get the second Prototype. And a thousand other games. I have too many that I want. ;=;

And I love Keres. I really do. She's the first girl character that I've written who can be weak, and in the next second, turn into the catalyst of destruction for mankind. So I love to fuck her up, too. So.

Anyway, enough of my rambling. Let's get going on the second to final chapter!

**Please Note**: FF still loves to eat my stylistic choices. And spacing choices. And a few other things, just so you know.

**Warnings: **Cursing, one of my favorite Marines hallucinating, and people dying horrible, grisly deaths, because I fucking hate Blackwatch so I love to watch viruses and the infected throw their innards in the air.

* * *

All my efforts to clean me  
Leave me putrid and filthy  
And how can you look at me  
When I can't stand myself

I'm tired to be honest  
I'm nobody

Perfect in weakness  
I'm only perfect in just your strength alone

"Perfect" - Flyleaf

* * *

Toby breathed in heavily, trying to work his way through the pain coursing through him.

He didn't know how long it had been since Blackwatch had taken them all captive. Days, weeks, months, fuck, maybe even _years_? And the worst part? He'd only had himself to blame for it all. So the pain? The pain didn't bother him too much, really. He could take it. It would be his penance to pay for that gut-wrenching look of betrayal on Keres's face. . . And the way Alex had just laid there.

They were probably dead now.

And this agony was what he deserved.

He killed Mark. He'd single-handedly murdered his brothers-in-blood, Scott and Cavin. And now, he'd delivered Alex and Keres back to the very people who wanted to kill them all. From underneath closed eyelids, Toby felt the hot prick of tears developing. He didn't know how many times he had laid there, on the gurney, and thought like that.

It was alright, though.

On top of the pain, and the never-ending needles and knives that Blackwatch doctors stuck into his skin, he had hallucinations. Or, he thought they were hallucinations. . . Toby couldn't really tell anymore. One day he'd opened his eyes to find Scott standing there in full battle gear, staring at him with stern blue eyes.

"_You might have fucked up, Knight_," The Marine had said, _"But god damn you, don't you give up now. You fucking _fight!" He'd seethed.

Doctors had approached him with needles shortly after, and had struggled and failed to find a vein inside of his collapsed arms. The doctors had brandished something like a power saw, then, and had implanted him with two IVs, directly into the bones on his knee and his arm. It had hurt. Toby had screamed when they flushed the IVs with fluids. But he'd been too weak to fight.

Scott Bailey had started screaming at him, demanding that he suck it the fuck up and _fight_, but Toby had closed his eyes and dropped into an exhausted sleep.

He ran away.

When he woke up next, Cavin was sitting on the opposite side of the room, also dressed in his flak vest.

"_Aye, boyo. I heard you were givin' up. . . That's no' the Kni' I know._"

Toby couldn't handle the disappointment in Cavin's eyes. He just. . . He needed to be alone. So he fell back asleep again.

Toby flinched when he felt a hand running over his head, and through his short hair, and cautiously blinked his eyes open. The touches were soft and tender, and for a moment, he thought they belonged to Keres. But no. . . No, it was Mark.

Mark was standing by his head and looking down at him.

The tears started flowing and dripped out of the corner of his eyes.

"_Aw, c'mon now. Don't start crying. I just figured you could use a little pick-me-up is all_."

Toby shook his head numbly, wanting to speak, but his throat had swelled shut. He could barely breathe. He flexed his hand, trying to reach for his brother, to hold him, but the restraints over his body stopped him. _No. No, no, Mark, I have to - Mark-_

Mark, seemingly understanding his need, reached down and covered his hand with his own. It felt warm and solid, and Toby shuddered in relief at the feel of his baby brother holding onto him again.

"_Oh, Toby. . . Look at yourself. How did you get to this point?_"

_Blackwatch. Everybody dying around me._

_It's all my fault._

_I fucked it all up._

Mark ran his fingers tenderly over his feverish forehead, and Toby sighed again, tears feeling cold over his hot skin.

"_I'm here. . . I'm here to tell you, Toby. I'm here to finally tell you that this has got to stop. This isn't you. My brother? My brother would have fought tooth and nail. He wouldn't have given up. . . My brother. . . He would have let me go a long, long time ago_."

_Never._

_I'm never going to let you go! You wouldn't have forgotten about me! No!_

Toby struggled, thrashing against the restraints. He needed to get up and bitch slap his little brother across the face for saying such bullshit. Forget about him? Completely cut him out of his life forever? No. NO! He was never going to do it! Mark stood silently beside him, a sad look on his face.

"_You don't have to forget about me, Toby. But you need to move on. I'm gone. And you have a new family now. It's time for me to go._"

Mark released his hand - or tried to. Toby latched on, but as though he were a vapor, Mark's fingers slipped right out of his hold. Toby thrashed harder, bucking against the table. An alarm started to sound, and lights flashed in the room. He heard footsteps approaching, and voices shouted. But he only stared at Mark, and watched as his little brother backed away, a resigned smile on his face.

Toby was screaming when Mark finally disappeared, and hands grabbed onto him and wrestled him back down on the table. More needles sank into his skin, and even as drugs flowed through his system, Toby cried out, hoarsely trying to call Mark back to him to prove he was all wrong, that Toby still _needed _him.

When blackness finally claimed him, Toby still felt the tears falling.

* * *

"_Knight. Wake up. Knight_."

Bailey.

Toby's eyes flickered open slowly, and he swallowed against a cottony dryness plaguing his throat. _How long have I been out_? Blearily, he turned his head, and saw Scott standing there, eyes brightened with a frantic light.

Toby tried to move his mouth, but his throat didn't want to work.

_What? What's wrong, Bailey?_

"_Knight. You _need _to get the fuck out of here. You break your bones, you get shot, I don't fucking _care. _But you need to get the fuck out of here. _NOW."

_Why?_

Above him, Bailey bristled, blue eyes flashing. Just like Mercer's. His dead friend leaned over him, digging gloved fingers into his bare shoulders with enough pressure to bruise.

"_You _know _why. This tower's gonna come crashing down, and goddamnit, you know it isn't your fucking time to go! Now_-"

A door opened, and Bailey jerked to look up, as though surprised. Toby turned his head and found two doctors, and four Blackwatch soldiers approaching him. Fear lanced through him, and Scott's words became increasingly ominous as the doctors began to pull out the IVs and tubes strapped into his body.

When they began to undo the straps keeping him tied down to the table, Toby's heart leaped up into his throat. Before they disconnected the nodes, Toby could idly hear the heart monitor begin to screech, belaying his fear. Several of the Blackwatch soldiers let out low chuckles.

The doctors lifted him off the table, and he felt a rush of panic when he was blinded - but he paused when he felt them maneuvering his arms, and. . . _They're dressing me? What the ever-loving Christ? _It was a thin, gray T-Shirt, and it did absolutely nothing to keep the cold at bay. Finished, the doctors stepped back.

"What about the EZ-IO?"

"Leave it in. It's not like we have the time to take them out."

_The bone IVs. . ._

One of the soldiers stepped forward and gestured for Toby to get to his feet.

"_Stand up, Marine. You've got a meeting to attend._"

That didn't sound good at all.

Toby turned his head, just slightly, to see if Bailey was still there, and felt a hand on his shoulder.

"_I can't stay_," Bailey said, "_But Knight, please, please, _please, _listen to what I said. Hayes and I don't want to see your fuckin' face here. Not for a long while yet._"

Toby could feel his stomach roiling. Was. . . Was he really hallucinating Bailey? Or was his dead friend actually here-

One of the Blackwatch troopers grabbed his arm and roughly dragged him up to his feet. Toby damn near fell over as the world bucked and writhed around him. The leftover drugs were still coursing through his system, but with every moment that passed, Toby felt as though he were gaining just a little more control.

"_Move._" The soldier commanded, and shoved him forward.

Toby staggered, but somehow managed to remain standing. He stood in the middle of his entourage, and was escorted out of his personal room of torture. The metal hallways were gray, nondescript, and fucking cold to his bare feet, but Toby wisely kept his mouth shut. He kept feeling sick, and his stomach was twisting itself into knots.

As they passed one hallway, Toby swore he heard whispers. Shaking his head numbly, he continued onward, partially curious as to where they were fucking taking him, and mostly suspecting they were just going to take him out back and shoot him. They trekked onward, and though his body ached and throbbed with every step, Toby forced himself to move forward. Eventually, after a few more minutes, they came to a doorway. It opened, sliding back into the wall, and Toby was escorted through.

Five steps into the room, and one of the soldiers behind him kicked at the back of his knees, sending him crashing down to the floor with a painful jar. Sucking in a pained hiss through clenched teeth, Toby knelt there, trying to reign in the pain.

A pair of shiny, black boots entered his field of vision, and he craned his neck back.

For the second time that day, his heart decided to stop.

Adam Jackson smiled down at him, black eyes crinkled in delight.

"Hello, Knight. Long time no see."

_Oh._

_. . . I am so fucked._

"It's a pleasure to see you again, Toby," Jackson continued, "I would have attended to you sooner, but alas, my schedule was quite full."

Rage boiled inside of him.

This fucker.

This fucking _scum of the planet _had single-handedly managed to tear his newly-formed family in half. He could still see Keres and Alex in his head, see the way they'd both been shoved into the transports.

"_Fuck you, asshole_." He snarled, voice practically vibrating with his fury.

Jackson grinned, as though his insult were somehow amusing.

"Now, now, Toby. No need for coarse language. No attacks, either. I wouldn't want one of my Black Ops boys to have to shoot you. You've got so much more testing ahead of you. . . Be a shame to have to kill you so early."

Toby curled his hands into fists, and breathed in slowly. He fought the need to take Jackson down to the ground and rip his fucking throat out. Anything. Anything to make the anger go away, to pay back the sins he'd committed.

And if Toby was being incredibly honest with himself, he wanted revenge.

Jackson stood there, silent as the grave, and looked down at Toby, as though waiting for him to speak. Breathing in slowly again, Toby finally managed to tamp down the hundreds of vile curses that threatened to bubble up.

"Why. . . Am I still alive?"

_I'm nothing to you. Just another Marine like the thousands you killed in Greene's infection_.

At that, Jackson gave a happy nod to his head.

"I was wondering when you'd finally ask that. You see, Toby, a few months ago, Blackwatch had to deal with Greene's infection - you remember, that, don't you? Nasty business, really. If I recall, it claimed the lives of three people you cared for. . . Scott Bailey, Cavin Hayes, and one Mark Knight. He was your younger brother, right?"

Toby bit the inside of his cheek, so hard he felt blood pour into his mouth. _You don't deserve to say their motherfucking names. I hope hell opens up so I can drag you into the pit and stab you with the first sharp thing I see_-

Jackson smiled, as though he knew the exact effect he was having on the soldier, "They all had to be scraped up and put into Ziploc bags, from the reports I read. . . Anyway, let's get back on subject. So. During Greene's infection, there were reports of a certain Marine who went missing, and rumors of his innate ability in being immune to the infection.

"It was also rumored that Zeus was the one who spirited this Marine away. All of this information was confirmed, of course, by our intel department. But, sadly, as Greene's infection faded, Blackwatch was unable to do anything about it-"

"Get to the _point_." Toby growled. He _knew _all of this bullshit. He'd lived it. Behind him, the soldiers shifted restlessly, as though they wanted to crack his head open with the butt of one of their assault rifles.

Jackson waved his hand airily, stopping them.

"No need to get impatient, Knight. I'm getting to that. Now, where was I? Ah, yes. So, when Greene's infection dissipated, we were forced to pull out of Manhattan. Shortly afterward, a certain virus managed to escape into Manhattan. You'll remember her. Subject 017. Keres. Because of her bid for freedom, Blackwatch was allowed access back to Manhattan. . . "

An annoyed gleam entered Jackson's eyes as he continued, "It wasn't fun, Knight. She's killed my career in Blackwatch, that's for certain. But the good news? Upon examining her Hive haunt, we found something. Buried amongst the rubble, where the wiring inside had failed, and the fire didn't set it off, we found a modified grenade."

Toby's entire body froze, and he stared up at Jackson.

The asshole looked at him and smiled, knowing exactly what Toby was thinking.

"That's right, Toby. One of your blood bombs. Luck beyond luck, actually. And the sample inside? Still good. So, I brought it back to the lab, had my doctors tear apart the serum inside. . . And a plan struck me. Going on a full-frontal assault against the viruses wouldn't be advisable. Never is. Too many casualties. But your serum? It made a wonderful vaccine."

"You. . . You _poisoned _them." Toby said, his voice a barely-audible croak.

Jackson began to clap.

"Well done, Toby! Yes, I did. It wasn't easy, making sure that none of the soldiers knew. I couldn't afford to tip off one of the two if they consumed the wrong soldier. But the more they consumed, the more it accumulated in their systems - the more potent it got. I won't bore you with the details of recapture, because I'm sure you remember it vividly. I will tell you, though, that we had to carve off large amounts of biomass, and feed them fresh, untainted samples. It was quite painful, and I don't think I've ever heard Seventeen scream so loudly-"

Toby launched himself at Jackson, red clouding over his vision, but hands locked over him, and wrestled him back to the ground again.

A forearm pressed into the back of his neck, shoving his face against the floor painfully. Toby fought against them for a couple moments before he laid still, heart thundering in his ears.

Above him, Jackson gave an exasperated sigh.

"Oh, Knight. You always let your emotions get the better of you. It's not healthy. Let him up, he's not going anywhere, and the day a drugged Marine manages to overtake me is the day I shoot myself."

The Blackwatch soldiers got off him, and Toby pushed himself back up to his knees. _Be smart about this, Knight. Tamp down, control your emotions, don't attack him, no matter how much you want to rip his heart out and force him to eat it. . ._

"And so now, we're here. Everybody has been safely detained. And I bet you're wondering just why the hell I invited you here today. So go on, ask me."

_I hate you and your motherfucking games._

"Why haven't you killed me yet?" Toby asked, forcing his voice to remain calm.

"That's because of your blood, Knight. People like you. . . Shouldn't exist. And yet, here you are, readily defying what the world wants for us."

Toby shook his head as a wave of dizziness coursed through him. He could. . . He could hear those whispers again, only this time, they were much louder, and steadily gaining in intensity. Who the fuck was talking?

"I'm not one for defying what the world wants, but my opinion doesn't matter in the grand scheme of things, really. The viruses? The ones you want to cuddle up to so much? They're humanity's next stage of evolution. We humans, with our fragile, imperfect bodies, are just a stepping stone. Imagine it, Knight. Imagine the power that courses through them, the undeniable itch to spread the infection, to mutate humanity into what we were truly destined to be."

Jackson leaned back, looking at his hand, and turning it over in the air above him. A look of intense longing had entered his eyes, and awe filled his voice.

"Everybody will have their correct place in their hierarchy. . . But those with the ability, those with the power-"

The whispers were so loud, it was hard for Toby to concentrate. As the seconds passed, the gibberish began to reassemble themselves into coherent words.

_kill them. kill them all. i want to see them bleed. i want to see them scream, to call out for a god that won't be there_-

"-_we _will turn into what we were truly meant to be. The next step in evolution-"

_-die. choke on your blood, listen to your bones crack_-

That roiling feeling was so strong, it made Toby bend over and clutch at his stomach. His head was throbbing, and the pain only escalated. He got bits and pieces of images and pictures, of people screaming as they died, blood coating mottled red and black hands, of the roar of a Hunter-

Alarms began to blare, and lights flashed.

Toby almost smiled. Almost.

When the first explosion rocked the base, and the muted rumble vibrated the floor, he knew exactly what had happened.

_Certain blonde I know. Gets pissed with Blackwatch around._

Lifting up his head, Toby made eye contact with Jackson.

And smiled.

_And you're on her hitlist._  
_  
_

* * *

Toby coughed as he stumbled through the hallways. His ears were ringing, and his left temple was bleeding from a nasty gash that refused to clot. Around him, utter chaos and confusion reigned. Blackwatch soldiers ran, trying to get a handle on the new infection raging about them, but every time they tried, they died.

The red, spongy biomass growth was spreading, tendrils readily whacking at any soldier stupid enough to shoot at it. It consumed those that fell before it, and more than once, Toby had heard a pained scream and a wet crack. It left him alone, though, as if somehow sensing that he was immune to the infection, and consuming him would be a bad idea.

He staggered through the hallways, trying to keep on his feet despite the constant tremors and explosions that threatened to send him toppling to the ground. _Get to Alex. Find him, free him, whatever. Get to Keres, get her, then get the fuck out of here._

It was the only plan he had, actually.

He'd been lucky to get away from Jackson and his guard dogs. Biomass had exploded into the room shortly after Jackson had had his monologue interrupted, and he'd sprinted out into the hallway. No time to arm himself, or steal of vest. It wasn't like the Blackwatch soldiers were shooting at him, anyway, so he was safe, for the time being.

But his problem?

He had no fucking idea where Mercer was.

Toby had never been on the inside of a Blackwatch base.

He had no idea where the hell anything was. He'd be lucky if he managed to find a fucking _exit_.

Toby stumbled as the floor vibrated, and another explosion ripped through the space he was in. He was forcibly thrown through the air and into a wall - which collapsed inward. He slid to a painful stop, and laid there, gasping for air. His ribs hurt, and if he had to guess, he'd probably broken a few of them. _Shit, this is all going to hell, goddamnit. Why do you always fuck the simplest things up? Why why _why?

He tried tried to get up, and found a cold breeze blowing over him.

Oh.

He was outside.

A dark chuckle escaped from him. He couldn't find an exit, so the explosion had helped him. Toby tried to get up to his feet again, but he heard movement to his left, and he turned his head.

Fate had seemed to have more plans in store for him.

From the plumes of smoke emerging from the hole, a lithe figure emerged. Toby stared as Keres separated from the carnage, red eyes scanning the environment. . . And she looked different. Her blonde hair hung in her face, her eyes were lightened from the inside, and a jacket-like piece of clothing hung in tatters around her frame. Both of her eyes stopped, and then locked onto him.

Hate and anger boiled in her eyes.

Toby opened his mouth, wanting to explain, but before he could, another figure emerged.

Sandy red hair glimmered in the firelight, and a bright smile came to life on his face.

"Look, the outside. Finally made it. . .Hey, Keres, it's that human who gave you up to Blackwatch. What a coincidence."

_Pariah._

Toby had never seen him before, and had only seen pictures of his mother, but they looked eerily alike. Every instinct in his body was screaming at him to run, to get away, because unlike Alex and Keres, he held no regard for humanity. He swallowed, holding onto his ribs tenderly, and calculating his chances of being able to run away.

He'd probably die before he could take five steps.

Pariah approached him, and before he could blink, the virus was in front of him.

"I think he'd make a nice Supreme Kin. Consider it an honor for betraying my Keres."

He reached forward and grabbed his wrist, and Toby tried to cry out in shock, half expecting himself to start mutating. . . But nothing happened. Pariah's eyes widened, and he drew back, looking surprised.

"He's immune." Keres said, voice deadpan.

"Really? Wow. . . Color me impressed! Never met somebody who was immune. What a curiosity. No wonder you took such an interest in him."

"K-Keres, please, I didn't - I didn't give you back, I swear-" Toby stuttered. He had to make her understand. He hadn't given her back, she just had to see that-

She turned her head away, as though the words visibly pained her. Pariah laughed, the sound something more akin to sharp, breaking glass.

"She doesn't _care_, human. She's back where she belongs. With me. And this time, we're going to finish what we started. As a welcome back gift, Keres, I'm going to kill him for you. No more pain."

Pariah's arm blurred, and then his right hand mutated into claws.

Toby stared, blood rushing in his ears.

So. . . This was how his life was going to end?

It. . . It was what he deserved, really. He'd fucked over his old family, and his new one. It was penance. For every single person he'd let down in his life. _I'm so sorry. To everybody. Even if you don't believe I'm sorry, Keres, I am. I'm so fucking sorry._

Alex. I never got to tell you that. . . I think I

"No."

Toby's entire body jolted as his eyes snapped open (_when did I close them?_) and he saw Keres standing above him, her hand locked over Pariah's arm. The claws were mere inches away from Toby's chest, threatening to slice him open with a twitch.

Pariah turned his head slowly to stare at her, absolutely incredulous.

"No? _No? _After everything some lowly _human _forced you to endure, you don't want him dead?"

Keres stared hard at Pariah, red eyes rife with indecision. Toby swallowed against a horrible tightness in his throat, trying to breathe. His heart stilled in his chest, and his hands were shaking. What. . . What was Keres going to say?

After a long moment, Keres paused, and then dropped her gaze to the ground.

"He's. . . He's not just some. . . No. Just. . . I don't want to see him dead. Okay?"

Pariah looked at her, and almost theatrically, sighed heavily. He rolled his eyes and shook his arm free of her grasp before turning back to Toby again. The Marine in question seriously considered pissing himself as Pariah knelt before him, a sharp frown on his lips.

"It's strange, isn't it?" The virus asked, "She spends all of her captivity hating humankind, and then she meets _you_, and suddenly she's humanity's best friend. . . What a shame, huh?"

Behind the redhead, Keres turned her head away again, as though Pariah's words were painful. A moment later, and Pariah's expression changed, as though he were thinking, and then disappointment surfaced on his face.

"Ah, well. I'm glad to know you failed that test."

Pariah turned, arm morphing, and faster than Toby could blink, he'd sliced Keres open. The blonde virus stumbled backward, a gaping wound on her chest, biomass splashing onto the ground. She clutched at it, looking utterly shocked. Her eyes were wide as she looked down, and then up, confusion and surprise on her face.

"I don't. . . W-What?"

"You're just as weak as _they _are," Pariah said, advancing again, "And I refuse to have such weakness carrying my ambition. So I'm taking it back."

Biomass erupted from Pariah's back, and within moments, it swallowed Keres whole.

"_NO!_" Toby screamed, scrambling to his feet.

If he could get to Pariah, pry him off somehow, he could save Keres. He could stop her from being devoured and becoming a part of another virus, alive for eternity, swirling as a thought inside of his head-

Almost as if god was smiling on him that day, Toby found a black blur impacting with Pariah, and it sent all three of them tumbling away. Toby numbly ran after them, watching in horror as Pariah refused to disengage from Keres, and an armor-clad Alex continued to claw at his backside, prying Greene's progeny off.

Toby's head was spinning and he felt like he was going to double over and throw up. He couldn't handle not knowing, if Keres was alive or dead, if she was consumed-

Alex wrapped his hand around a part of the biomass, and with a cry of effort, ripped Pariah free.

Keres. . .

Toby nearly fell to his knees right then and there.

What was left of Keres went flying down the street, smacking into it with a wet _plop_, and rolled to a stop. _No. . . No, no no no! _The sounds of Titans at war greeted him moments after he took off, sprinting to Keres's body. Alex and Pariah were trading blows, filling the airs with deafening crashes and cracks as they warred.

Barely noticing the danger, Toby made it to the virus, and he paled when he saw her condition.

How many times was his heart going to stop in his chest that day?

Before him, Keres laid on the ground, biomass flowing onto the asphalt around her, quickly gathering into a large pool. Her eyes were hazy and unfocused, and she writhed, fingers clutching at the street. She coughed, and more biomass bubbled up around her mouth - every breath she took sounded wet and labored. What. . . What was most disturbing was. . .

Keres's whole left arm and right leg had been torn completely from her body. More bits and pieces were missing as well, and Toby knew she didn't have long.

There was too much damage. She wouldn't be able to regenerate herself.

Toby dropped to his knees beside her, gripping her remaining hand gently.

"Keres. Hey, look at me, baby." He said, pitching his voice low, soothing.

He'd seen many of his brothers die at the hands of the infected. Many of them had gone screaming, terrified to be facing the end at the hands of such monsters. Keres's eyes wandered around before locking onto his face, and recognition flashed through her eyes. She squeezed his hand in return, but her grip was weak, and her skin was slick with lukewarm biomass.

"T-Toby," She said, managing to speak, "It hurts. . . It hurts so _bad_."

Tears began to slide out of the corners of her eyes, as if voicing the pain had made it that much worse. Toby's throat tightened as he reached over to gently brush the tears off of her skin.

He couldn't do anything to save her. He'd never seen Keres this injured, but the way she was reacting now. . . She knew death was coming for her.

Looking down at what was left of Keres's body, Toby felt anger rush through him. He hadn't been able to do anything for her.

For Alex.

When he was 18, he'd joined the Marines so he wouldn't be defenseless. And for a while, he hadn't been. But ever since he'd found out about Alex Mercer, it was as though his life had amounted to nothing. He'd been reduced to a pansy-assed girl, relying on the viruses to cosntantly save him.

So what could he do now?

He didn't want Keres to die. Somewhere along the line, she'd managed to take a piece of his heart. And through all of her smiles and social awkwardness, she had helped him heal over the grief of Mark's death. He didn't want to see her die, gripping his hand, bleeding to death, missing an arm and a leg.

As he stared at her, murmuring comforting things, a thought popped into his mind, so crazy and insane that. . . It seemed like it would work.

"Keres. Keres, baby, look at me."

She did, cracking open her eyes, and gritting her teeth through another wave of pain.

"Keres. Consume me."

For a moment, she didn't understand what he said. But when his words registered, her eyes widened, and she shook her head weakly.

"No. No no. Can't kill you. Won't. I won't, Toby-"

"Shhh. It's okay, Keres. If I do this, I can help you. I won't see you die."

She was crying even harder now, shaking her head, "C-Can't. I _won't_. No-"

Toby cupped her face in both of his hands, and looked deep into her eyes. He had to get his point across. She had to understand.

"You. Will. _Die_, Keres. If you don't do this, you'll die. And then I will die. Do you understand? Cosume me. Then help Alex. This isn't a request, Keres. This is an _order_."

Her entire body shook all over, and Keres was still shaking her head numbly. Toby just sat there, immovable, giving her time to come to terms with it. . . And eventually, he saw a peace settle in her eyes. It was painful to watch, the way the bright gleam died in her eyes. She released his hand, and reached up to touch his face.

Toby watched her, absorbing as much information as he could, knowing that _his _end was coming soon. . . But it was alright. He would be able to help Alex, in this small way. By forfeiting his own life, he'd be able to contribute so much more.

Only. . . he hoped, in some small way, consuming wouldn't hurt.

"Close your eyes." She whispered.

He did.

Toby felt her hand touch his cheek tenderly, fingertips brushing over his face. Then her hand moved down, lingering on his chest, over his heartbeat. Further down still, over his abs, and then to his side, where his scar lay, a reminder of what Keres had done for him-

Keres dug her fingers into that wound, making Toby gasp in pain, eyes snapping open - and then he felt something crawling over his body, settling onto his skin. Instinctively, Toby released Keres, staggering back from her, and looked down to his side. A black, horrible growth was spreading there, crawling over his body. It burned as it traveled over his skin, but not unbearably so.

He looked back up to Keres, and found her arm weakly dropping back onto the street.

A small, sad smile was on her face.

"Don't be afraid," She murmured, more biomass leaking out of her mouth, "It'll be over soon."

So Toby did his best to meet his maker. He willed his heart to stop beating so painfully hard in his chest, he tried to quell the rising nausea in his stomach. _You wanted this, _he reminded himself, _you can't go back now_.

The growth consumed every part of him, wrapping around every inch of his body. His muscles twitched, and the burning grew even more insistent - enough to make Toby groan and pitch forward on the asphalt. Catching himself on his hands, he found his entire body was suddenly in rebellion, reacting to whatever the hell was happening.

He grit his teeth against the pain, reminding himself that this would help Alex. Only somebody with Alex's caliber of power would be able to help him fight. Ant that would be Keres. He was only a human.

If he gave Keres back her body, she would be able to help Mercer fight.

The growth was suddenly crawling over his head, covering his face, and entering his mouth - Toby let out a strangled scream as it continued down his throat. He tried to throw up, but it was no use. His hands came up to claw at his throat, because he couldn't _breathe _-

Something snapped inside of his body, and he found his heart stopping.

His body dropped to the pavement, and the world began to grow dark.

And then, with an electric jolt, he was alive again.

And still in one piece.

Toby forced himself to get to his feet, swaying slightly, feeling groggy. Keres was still laying there, looking at him sadly, and a fresh wave of anger flooded through him. She didn't consume him. Goddamnit, she was dying, and he would bring her back _personally _just to kill her again for not obeying his order.

He stalked over to her angrily, intent on forcing her to consume him again before he lost his nerve. He reached a hand out to grab her shoulder - and froze.

His. . . His body was encased in armor.

The same armor that Alex often donned before fighting Hunters or tanks.

"You fight," Keres said weakly, dragging his attention back to her, "You can now."

_Only somebody with Alex's caliber of power can help him fight_, his mind echoed, reminding him of his desperate thoughts.

He was outfitted with armor. He could fight now, and his body would not be broken with a single hit.

"_You will live_," He said, voice sounding as though it were coming out of a radio, "_when I come back here, you will be alive. Do you understand me, Keres?_"

She nodded her head, closing her eyes.

"I'll be here."

Toby turned away from her, but found it was really fucking hard. Half of him wanted to stay and protect her, to find the closest Blackwatch person and make her eat it. But the sounds of Alex and Pariah fighting had gotten further and further away, and he knew that Alex was probably losing.

His stomach knotted, and his heart clenched, but he knew he had to leave Keres. He had a war to fight, and if he didn't win, she'd be just another casualty in it.

So he ran, newly-acquired armor propelling him with ease, turning the entire landscape around him into a blur.

He would fight.

And he would win.


	12. The Last Man

**Disclaimer**: I do not own any part of the Prototype universe. All characters are property of those who own Prototype. If anybody tries to gain money off of this franchise - be forewarned. Alex Mercer _will _find you, and you may find yourself sharing the fate of Karen Parker.

* * *

**Title**: Infectum.

**Summary**: Blacklight is back. Toby Knight and Alex Mercer team up to uncover the source of the viral flare - and ultimately end up revealing more secrets from Blackwatch. Armageddon is a lot closer than anyone thinks. . . M/M, slight AU. Continued from Sanctum.

**Rating:** M. Finally upgraded it!

**Author's Notes: **ALL DONE, FOLKS!

Bum bum bum.

Will there be an epilogue?

I dunno.

Spoiler alert: yeah.

Do I like cliffhangers?

Fuck yeah.

Have fun, kids. This story has been a hell of a ride!

**Please Note**: FF still loves to eat my stylistic choices. And spacing choices. And a few other things, just so you know.

**Warnings: **Cursing. Lots and lots of cursing. Expect your mental tongue to be blue by the time you've reached the end. Actionless action, and a lot of cursing. Did I mention the cursing?

* * *

It's time to strap our boots on  
This is a perfect day to die  
Wipe the blood out of our eyes

In this life there's no surrender  
There's nothing left for us to do  
Find the strength to see this through

. . .

I stand here right beside you  
Tonight we're fighting for our lives  
Let me hear your battle cry  
Your battle cry

"Soldiers" - Otherwise

* * *

It was pathetically easy to find them, actually.

All he had to do was follow the trail of death and destruction.

The destroyed cityscape was quickly becoming wrought with biomass, which (much like Greene's infection) was beginning to coat everything. The air was taking on a red hue, and Toby's spine stiffened and crawled as memories threatened to rise up and pull him back into days fraught with monsters and screams and guns that failed to work.

The sounds of buildings cracking and asphalt being ripped out of the ground caught his attention, and Toby turned from his thoughts as he changed directions by turning down a side street. The sounds grew louder as he approached, and he almost careened into another building as he turned another corner. He bit out a sharp curse as he regained his balance and started sprinting again - the armor was going to take some getting used to, he admitted. It propelled him at superhuman speeds, but he didn't feel winded - it hardly felt as though he were exerting himself at all.

The landscape was nearly a blur, but what threw a nice little dash of vertigo into the mix was that whenever he focused his eyes on something, his vision paused momentarily, like he was able to take a picture with just his eyes.

It made it hard to concentrate, but he managed.

Toby's head jerked up as a building came crashing down, and dust settled over the street. Need a better vantage point, he thought. With the dirt and biomass, he'd never be able to see through it - and running in blind was beyond stupid.

He turned, and locating the nearest building, instinctively moved to go kick down the door and race up to the steps to the roof. . . When he looked down.

He stopped.

The armor was pressed so tightly against him, it was like a second skin. Artificial muscles bulged over his body, telling him he was strong. It had let him run so fast, he'd covered the span of a mile or two in a handful of seconds.

Why bother going through the front door when he. . . Try to jump to the top?

He chewed the inside of his cheek as he tossed the option around in his mind. He'd seen Mercer run up buildings far more often than he'd care to admit, and with his new upgrade, who was he to say he couldn't try the same thing? What was the consequence if he failed, anyway? He'd do a pathetic little hop in the street with nobody watching?

Toby took a deep breath. He spread his legs and crouched.

And then he jumped.

In all honesty, he was expecting to do the silly little six inches people could manage before landing back on the ground with a slightly bruised ego.

But no.

"_Shit shit shit fuck fuck fuck!_" He bit out, arms pinwheeling in the air.

He kept going up, sailing well over the forty-foot height of the building, and tried desperately to land. Eventually, he peaked, and Toby panicked for a moment as he saw his legs racing down to meet the rooftop. A life's worth of knowing one could die from heights made him instinctively want to try and save himself-

But he forcibly pushed those thoughts aside and spread his legs again, bending slightly at the knees, and prayed to every holy deity that this wouldn't kill him.

He landed, the shock traveling easily through his legs, and the roof actually buckled under the force of his impact. His body pitched forward as his balance momentarily wobbled, but he gripped the ledge of the roof and breathed a huge sigh of relief when it became apparent his body had remained wholly intact.

"_This is going to take some getting used to-_"

The world below him exploded, and Toby looked down. He watched as Alex was sent sliding backward. Mercer managed to recover nicely, but a huge chunk of asphalt launched itself at him, and when it struck, it sounded like thunder cracking. It sent the armor-clad virus tumbling head over heels.

The red-headed menace appeared from the wrecking of a building a moment later, anger and disappointment etched into every dip of slope of his twisted face.

"That's it? That's _all_ you have? I was expecting so much _more_ from the man that killed Mother."

Swinging himself up onto the ledge, Toby crouched and calculated just how much jump he'd need.

_Looks like I'll just have to give it the acid test_, he thought, hands clenching and unclenching at his sides.

"Everyone is terrified of _you?_" Pariah continued, "The great and powerless Zeus? You can't even stand your ground!"

A few steps later, and Pariah was in perfect striking distance.

Toby launched himself, cocking a fist back, and swung it forward right as he was about to connect with the ground. A vicious snarl tore through him as Pariah jerked his head a second before impact, and dodged, deftly jumping away.

Toby hadn't held anything back.

He allowed himself to bask in a small, guilty rush of pleasure as he saw the damage of his attack. He'd packed enough power to form a crater in the asphalt and he had cracked it severely.

Keeping his eyes on Pariah, Toby watched in silence as the virus staggered back, utter shock on his face.

"Another virus? That's not possible! No, no. . ." He paused, fingers flexing, before clenching tightly, "No, _she did this!_"

Greene's progeny darkened with rage, eyes coming to life with a bright flare. Good, motherfucker. Get angry. Get as pissed as I am right fucking now. The angrier Pariah got, the more mistakes he'd make.

And the easier it would be for Toby to break his fucking neck and tear his head off.

"That _whore!_ How dare she give _you_, some lowly, pathetic _insect_, the _gift of the gods!_"

Toby slowly straightened from the crouch he'd been sitting in, and fury of his own curled through him. It wasn't wise to let his emotions get the better of him, especially when that was what he wanted Pariah to do - but after everything today, his anger was going to be his fuel. he was no longer a helpless, pathetic ex-Marine who relied on viruses to fight his battles for him.

Toby was going to kill this virus with his own bare hands.

He'd swear it on the very last breath his body.

His armor hummed, but he barely noticed the strange, acid-green light that his suit produced, throwing distorted beams of light into the dust and shadows around them.

"_Shut the fuck up,_" Toby said, calm as death, "_You're next, you little shit. I'm going to tear you apart with my bare hands if it's the last thing I do._"

Pariah glared at him, red, infected eyes shining with the intense illuminate and hatred that was a brand all his own. At his side, his hands clenched so tightly that biomass leaked out, and a dark, evil smile tweaked the corners of his lips.

Despite the anger churning through Toby, he had enough sense to register that somewhere, in the back of his mind, he felt an emotion bubble up to the surface, and as much as he tried to tamp it down, to discard of it, the emotion refused to be ignored.

It was true, primal fear.

* * *

Concrete rushed around him, and Toby struggled, trying to regain his balance, but he failed miserably. His back finally hit something hard, something that refused to give, and he felt his body jerk like a rag doll from the impact. He slid down onto the ground, coughing and wheezing as he tried to catch his breath again.

He could taste the heavy, coppery metallic tang of blood on his tongue. He coughed and felt it dibble onto his chin and down his neck.

_Fuck, I didn't - ow. Motherfucker, that hurt._

Pariah had been an opponent not to be taken lightly. And the bastard had been mopping the floor with Toby or well over ten minutes now. Toby had armor that wasn't breaking when he was hit - but it was a mixed blessing. He could take a greater breathing now, and unfortunately, that meant he was forced to experience so much more pain. . .

He was also in short supply on mutations. He'd tried, but nothing had come to his beck and call. What he did have, however, was an amount of outlandish strength. The armor acted as an exoskeleton of sorts, enhancing his strength to levels he'd never thought possible.

Pariah, unfortunately, had figured out that his armor limited him to short-range fighting and began to use long-range tactics.

Being thrown and smashed into buildings and streets was not something Toby enjoyed, but he'd made the fucker pay for it by managing to slip out of his hold, racing up, and breaking his arm.

Or. . . He had tried, anyway. pariah had just regenerated the broken bone. . . If he had bones.

_Back to the present, Knight!_

Scratched and chipped hands pressed down against the ruined insides of the building and forced himself to sit up. Where the hell was Mercer? He'd been there, in the street, but he had just up and vanished. . . Not that Toby was worried that Alex had left him. Nu-uh. No way.

He could take Pariah down in his sleep. Alone.

_Speak of the devil._

Pariah came to stand in front of the nice hole he'd created. Toby crouched again - and sprang. Instead of tackling the redheaded asshole, Toby found biomass wrapping around him, and immobilizing him. He struggled, trying to free himself from the hold of the organic growth, but it held fast. He could barely move his arms and legs.

Before him, Pariah grinned.

"How utterly predictable. . . Just like the rest of you humans. As entertaiing as this has been, I have plans. And to be quite frank, you're boring." Pariah's arm mutated in a blur and a longer, thinner blade popped out of the kid.

Without waiting - no last evil villain monologue - he swung. Toby swallowed, his heart racing in his chest as he saw the blade coming closer and closer-

_Clang!_

Pariah's blade shattered a moment before impact, but the jagged remains of it scratched against Toby's neck, slicing into the armor. He hissed as he felt blood welling in the shallow cut. It wasn't fatal, though - he'd live. Pariah snarled, fury curling through him as he turned around.

Just the distraction Alex needed. Several more of the projectiles streaked through the air and severed the ties holding Toby. The soldier wasted no time in dropping to the ground and nailing Pariah with a roundhouse that even Chuck Norris would have been proud of.

The virus went head over heels on the ground with a loud yelp of surprise.

_That_ was a damn good sound to hear.

Irritation bubbled through Toby, and Alex came to a stop in front of him, parts of his armor missing. _He threw the armor. . . Smart._

"_Where the fuck_ were _you?_" He growled, ripping off the remnants of the sticky biomass off of his body.

"Getting a plan together. I've got a pen with Bloodtox filled up. We're going to drop him into it. Paralyze him long enough to chop him into pieces. . . then I'll consume him."

Good plan.

It was also the only plan they had, really.

Toby shook the kinks out of his body, shoving the aches and pains away. He didn't have time to bitch. He noticed Alex staring at him, head canting in a way that suggested he was examining his own armor, but then Mercer turned to Pariah, who was getting back to his feet and seething, teeth clenched in open rage.

Honestly, Toby had to say he liked that. . . Alex wasn't asking questions. He was just accepting it. He was acting like they were a unit. For once since they time they'd been together, it sent a thrill through Toby to realize that they were going to be an honest to god, bonafide team. They stood, shoulder to shoulder, as they started down Greene's biological child. The virus looked beyond pissed and Toby relished it. The virus looked beyond furious and Toby relished it. He wanted to laugh in that fucker's face. Wanted to punch it down until it resembled nothing more than the ropy strings of biomass that he loved to utilize so much.

Pariah's eyes were glowing so brightly that Toby could have spotted him from a hundred feet away, and it was an indicator of just how pissed he was. With a cry that made Toby's spine stiffen, the virus lurched forward, hurtling at them in a blur.

Alex matched his speed, arm mutating into his blade.

"9th and Main!" Mercer bit out.

Pariah and Alex collided, another thunderous crack echoing in the air around them. Toby hastened to come around the back, flanking them, and ran forward, aiming an elbow at the back of Pariah's head - but something snapped out at him.

Toby twisted his ankles, braking to a stop, and snagged the sharp tendril of biomass that had been working to impale him. In his grip, it whipped around, attempting to free itself.

The little bastard started laughing, high and caustic.

The sound grated on Toby's nerves so badly that he could almost hear his teeth cracking as he clenched his jaw. More pieces of biomass began to separate from Pariah's back, and Toby reached forward, grabbing one of the newly-forming biomass tendrils, and gripping it as tightly as he could, began to pull.

Pariah dug his feet into the asphalt at first, but Toby _pulled_, and with a cry of effort, flung the virus into the air. Alex followed right behind him, planting a hand into his chest and flinging him down the pavement. He kept running, dragging Pariah along with him, and threw him up into the air.

_My turn._

Toby launched himself into the air and, with a speed he hadn't even thought he'd had, he unleashed a barrage of blows. Kicks and punches were a blur, and Pariah was lucky enough to be his punching bag. A dark satisfaction wove through him as he felt Pariah's body begin to resist his blows less and less, becoming soft and pliable under his fists.

He cocked back his fist for a final punch before landing lightly on the ground. Pariah hit a building and laid there, looking more and more like a crumpled mess. Toby jerked, startled, as a hand rested on his shoulder, but it was only Alex. Mercer lifted a hand and pointed, and Toby followed his finger. There, just down the street, closer to the Blackwatch complex, a section of the concrete had caved in. It was a quick, rough job, but Toby could see four large tubes into the hole - which was overflowing with potent Bloodtox. The concoction boiled and misted onto the street level, reminding Toby very much of a cauldron.

He looked back to Alex and nodded.

Almost done.

Their enemy was about to die.

Alex snapped his arm out, mutating it into a long tendril, and wrapped it around Pariah. Taking Toby's approach to the matter, Mercer lifted the virus into the air and threw him, almost lazily, towards the Bloodtox pit.

As if sending his imminent demise, Pariah twisted in the air, and thin, weakened strands of biomass exploded out of him and connected to the nearest buildings. He hung there, suspended in the air, a very strange mimicry to what Toby had experienced not too long ago.

Alex made as if to move forward, but Toby caught his arm.

He walked forward, slowly, each footstep echoing in the air around them. Before him, Pariah was shaking his head, his face a beaten, bloody pulp.

"No! No, don' - no!" He begged.

"_Shut the fuck up and die already!_" Toby snapped.

He wasn't going to give Pariah any quarter. Not here, not now, not fucking ever. He was going to make sure the little bastard died if it was the last thing he did. Jumping, Toby ensured he had enough force built up so he could break the biomass strings holding Pariah - and he did.

Toby wrapped his hand around the virus's shoulders, and his biomass support gave way with a strange crackling sound. The Bloodtox pit came closer and closer, and his fingers dug into what was left of Pariah's body.

He could hear Alex calling out to him, telling him to let Pariah go, but Toby ignored him. No.

No, he was going to make sure that Pariah died.

Toby stilled Pariah's squirming, and instinctively took a deep breath of air before they both plummeted into the Bloodtox pit. The red mist damn near covered all of his vision, but with Pariah so close to his face, he could see him, worry and concern drawn tight onto his features.

Making sure that Greene's progeny was right underneath him, Toby made Pariah take the brunt of the impact as they finally hit the bottom of the hole. The Bloodtox was so thick it was actually forming puddles of itself on the ground. Hate curled through Toby as he stared at all of the red surrounding him, and his itched to do something - _anything._

His hands locked around Pariah's throat, and he started squeezing.

Around him, the Bloodtox began to take effect. He could feel his armor cracking and dulling, and it didn't take very long for bits and pieces of it to fall off. The bottom part of his helmet-like covering fell away, exposing his lips and chin to the air. And though Bloodtox couldn't do anythign to him - he wasn't infected - it made his skin tingle.

Below him. . . Pariah started to laugh.

It was a weak, wheezy chuckle, but it reignited the hot coals of rage in Toby's gut.

"What the fuck is so funny?" He snarled, grip tightening around Pariah's throat, "Tell me, is it funny that you're about to die? That a human is killing you?"

The laughter began to grow stronger.

"What's so _fucking funny?!_"

He drew back a fist, the armor over his hand cracking, to punch Pariah - but right as his hand was about to make contact with the virus's face. . . The redhead caught it.

Toby reeled in shock as he felt the strength behind that grip, and Pariah began to squeeze - the armor covering Toby's hand began to crack faster. The hairs on the back of his neck stood on end, and inside, his mind was screaming at him. Something was wrong. Terribly, terribly wrong.

Pariah stopped laughing and looked at him, an insane smile on his face, his eyes bright with his madness.

"Bloodtox doesn't affect me. Who you think they _made it from?_"

Toby reeled in shock as Pariah's body began to knit back together, quicker than ever, and the mist swirled around them, as though Pariah's body were sucking it in. _Now. Now, I have to kill him now, before it's too late!_

Part of his armor was still on the ground. Toby snatched it up and raised it, readying to bring it down and impale Pariah with the helpful force of gravity-

Until he jerked.

Numbly, he dropped the chunk of armor, and it dissipated in the air, the corroding effects of Bloodtox too much for it to take. Toby looked down and found. . . There was. . .

_Didn't I have a dream about this before?_

_. . . Yeah. I did._

Three thin spikes of biomass were sticking into his stomach, and from the pain radiating from his back, he was certain that they had impaled him completely. His blood began to drip, splattering down onto Pariah's rapidly-closing wounds and sizzling as they came into contact with the embodiment of the Blacklight virus.

"That's right, imperfection," Pariah purred beneath him, "Bloodtox was derived from my strand. It's all me. Thank you for giving me enough power to finally create my own Hive."

His smile broadened, and the biomass inside of Toby began to expand-

He wasn't ashamed to say that he screamed as the pain washed through him. That his fingers tried clawing at the slowly widening holes in his body.

"You get to witness the birth of a new world. Consider yourself lucky."

His vision began to grow dark at the edges, and the Bloodtox swirled around them violently. . .

Biomass exploded all around him. Toby's vision was ingrained with red as it pressed in around him, but the pain finally became too much to bear.

Toby closed his eyes and slipped into unconsciousness.

* * *

_Did I. . . Finally die?_

_Why does it still hurt, then?_

Wasn't all the pain supposed to go away when you were dead? You were supposed to see a bright light, go up to the pearly gates, and see if you got into the fluffy clouds or not. He'd laugh his ass off if he saw Mark, Cavin, or Scott wearing robes and playing harps. But no. . . All Toby could see was darkness.

"_Toby._" A voice called, faintly.

He knew that voice.

"_Toby, wake_ up."

He remembered. . . A halo.

_Yeah, the halo._

It was a beautiful halo that had been the ring around a blonde angel, who cried crystal tears when he had died.

"_Toby,_ please! Wake up!"

An electric jolt wove through him, and like somebody had poured ice water into his brain, Toby snapped awake with a start, hands reaching for a weapon and his entire body shivering with warning. Something was _wrong._

_Keres?_

Red spanned all around him, an entire carpet of biomass that covered everything in sight. He craned his neck, fighting against invisible restraints, and fear washed through him as he saw, just a tiny glimpse, his entire body almost submerged in it. Sticky veins wove over his arms, legs and torso, burying him under a thick carpet of viral buildup.

He struggled just to see if he could free himself. Keres needed him, he knew it, something was wrong-

"Oh, look. He's awake. Perfect."

That smug, insane voice made his spine crawl, and he turned his head as much as he could, searching for the owner of it.

Pariah appeared in his vision, smiling brightly down at him.

"My current company is just so _dull._ I was hoping you'd wake up soon."

Toby snarled, his throat protesting the action, but he forced himself to sound as threatening as possible.

"Let me go, and we settle this. I swear I won't fuck up a second time." Toby promised, hands flexing.

He tried to free himself, but his biomass prison held firm. Pariah stared down at him for a moment before rolling his eyes and shrugging.

"You still haven't learned anything, have you? I'll win. I'll always win. . . In fact, I have won. I just like to rub the salt in the wound a little more."

"No, you haven't won. Let me out and I'll show you who _will._" Toby's voice rose, forming into a shout.

A small sound greeted him, almost like a tiny, feminine hiccup, and ice rushed through his veins. Keres.

Pariah looked up and away from him, somewhere where Toby couldn't see, and a frown creased his lips.

"What's that? Did you have something to say, traitor?"

"P-Please stop. . ."

In his chest, his heart threatened to stop completely.

_Keres._

"You bastard! What the fuck did you do?"

Pariah looked down at him again, quirking his head to the side. Then he snapped his fingers.

"Oh, yes, that's right. I forgot I attached your head to the floor. Silly me. Let me fix that."

The sounds of tissue moving greeted his ears, and then the biomass holding his head fell away, and Toby bent his spine as much as he could to look up- and the shock of what he saw made him still completely. Biomass hung around him in thick curtains and columns, at least ten times worse than any Hive he'd ever been into. All around him, it moved and thrived, very much alive.

But there were two other people trapped in that biomass, and as Toby examined their bindings, he thought he could taste the bile rising in his throat.

Alex was attached to the wall, spread-eagle. What looked like half-formed Hunters were also bulging from the walls, each one locking both hands over all of his limbs. Above his head, another Hunter's claws jetted from the wall, looking inches away from impaling his head. Their claws were what was keeping Alex rooted to the wall, as each one had pierced his limbs, and biomass dripped from the injuries, which couldn't seal up. As Toby looked at Alex, his hands clenched, and his head moved - only to have the claws above him twitch downward.

_If Alex tries to free himself. . ._

The fucked-up mosaic of Hunters around Alex looked like some kind of demonic religious painting. Toby had to work hard to tamp down on his anger and fear - it was just another way of Pariah getting to him. He knew that.

He turned his head, looking for Keres, and paled when he saw her.

Like Alex, she was rigged into some fucked-up religious piece of artwork. She was strapped to a cross, something that looked as though it were made out of human body parts, but what really petrified Toby was the fact that nearly all of her clothes were gone. And she had been crucified. He could see discarded stop signs by the bottom of her cross, and the metal had been torn off.

Toby was momentarily relieved to find that she had somehow regenerated her missing arm and leg, but she'd traded that for metal poles jutting out of her hands and feet. A scrap of fabric had been tied around her eyes, effectively blindfolding her. Dried biomass was splashed all over her body, but on her face it looked wet. Fresh.

Pariah, following his gaze, walked over to Keres quite jauntily.

"Do you like them? You do, don't you. You might have some nasty imperfections in your DNA, but even I can tell you that you have an eye for artistic quality. Even the little traitor likes it. Don't you?"

Pariah pressed himself against her, and trailed his fingertips along her body, starting at her stomach and winding upwards. Keres jerked and flinched, another hiccup coming from her.

"P-Please, Pariah, s-st-"

The _smack_ of Pariah's hand hitting Keres's cheek echoed in the space around them.

If Toby hadn't been livid, he was fucking seeing red then.

"I didn't say you could speak," Pariah said, quite calmly, "You're _still_ doing it. Look, I took pity on you a second time and helped you regenerate your missing limbs - and all I asked was that you just stay there and shut up. I'm being nice! I'm letting you watch them die. . . Well, maybe not watch, huh?"

Toby bit the inside of his poorly-abused cheek, so hard that it bled. The pain helped center him, helped him remember that he had to keep breathing. He couldn't get angry that Keres and Alex were at the hands of some little psycho, looking about ready to be finished off in gruesome ways that he couldn't stop-

_No. Stop it.  
_

He had to stay calm. He had to think of a way out. Toby closed his eyes and focused on his breaths, tuning out Pariah. His voice became a drone in the background, and soon, Toby couldn't even hear that.

_toby. _

_Keres?  
_

She smiled. It was a weak, fragile thing, but a picture of it came to life in his mind, as though his brain were inventing a very grainy, half-focused photograph of her face. His head itched like mad, and a strange tide of pictures and whispers threatened to overwhelm him.

_hi. _

_Oh my god. I can hear you. In my head - wait. Earlier. . . In the Blackwatch complex - that was you too, wasn't it? _

Another smile, slightly broader this time.

Toby decided h wasn't going to question how he could hear her in his head. Things were already really weird around him, what was hearing the voice of a virus in his head?

_yeah. sorry you had to hear that, toby. i was angry. . . really angry. i didn't mean anything- _

_I know. You don't have to apologize. It was my fault. _

Silence reigned in Toby's head, and somewhere, in the distance, he could hear the sharp sound of skin slapping skin. He started to move back into the present, he had to stop Pariah, needed to come up with a plan-

He felt hands ghosting over his skin, cupping his cheeks.

_no toby. stay here, with me. i have an idea. _

He paused, waiting for her to continue.

_i'm going to get us out of here, set us free. you've got to stop this infection, toby. it's already taken over half of manhattan. _

_Oh, only that much?_ His shock was burned out. He was officially out of it.

Another gentle smile.

_Okay, tell me your idea. Let's get this ball rolling. _

Through the mental link that they shared, Toby could see images. Brief glimpses of something that Keres was thinking. It was hard to make out, but from what he could tell, there were images of. . . Keres. . . Fighting Pariah.

Alone_. _

_Keres? Keres, what are you planning? _

He felt those ghostly hands again, trailing down from his face. It was a strange parody of what she'd done earlier, but she ran her hands down his chest, and finally stopped over his stomach. Pressure laid over it, and he stiffened as a brief flash of pain wove through him.

_the armor will be a bandage. for now. i can't cover you like last time. he'll notice. alex will help you find a way to stop this. _

_Keres! Keres, stop! Don't do this!  
_

Her mind was already drifting away from him, and no matter how much Toby scrambled to keep it from drawing away, it retreated. Like sand slipping through his fingers, he just couldn't keep a hold on it.

_Keres! Don't leave me! _

_i'll pay for my sins, toby. just like how you already paid for yours. _

Toby's eyes snapped open, and he hoisted himself up as much as he was able.

"Keres, _no!_"

Pariah jerked to him, confusion on his face.

On the cross, Keres moved, forcibly drawing her hands off of the metal. She lurched off of the cross, freeing her feet, and sprang forward. Pariah whirled around a moment too late, and the two collided. From her back, her spine exploded, and Toby watched in fear and horror as her spine jutted out of her body and mutated into her metal tail.

"Keres, don't do this! He'll kill you! _Please!_"

_I can't lose you too! Keres, goddamnit, _stop!

Pariah snarled as Keres swiped at him, blindfold still tightly secured over her face.

"Still have a little fight left in you, do you? _Fine!_"

Claws of his own snapped out of Pariah's hands, and he swiped at Keres. Toby almost screamed when Keres was a beat behind dodging, and his claws raked over her face. Using Pariah's momentum, she wrapped her hand around his wrist and ducked underneath him, throwing him over her shoulder. With a surprising amount of strength, the redhead went tumbling away.

Keres stabbed her claws into the ground, and a moment later, her biomass vibrated and swirled, her arms becoming a gaseous, blurry version of themselves. Through the red, streaks of blue began to spread. It was a cheery, cyan blue, and it raced through Pariah's biomass. Veins of it streaked over to Alex's prison, settling over one of the Hunters - which immediately drew his claws out of Alex's body and separated from the wall to tackle the other two. Mercer took that time to jump down, and in a heartbeat, he was over at Toby's side.

Alex clawed at the biomass surrounding Toby, and when his body was free, helped the soldier to stand.

"We have to help, Alex - Alex? _Alex, stop!_"

Mercer looped Toby's arm around his neck, and began to walk away, leaving Keres to die. Toby railed against him, fighting to free himself, but Alex refused to be moved. He kept twisting, attempting to peer over their shoulders, and saw glimpses of Keres and Pariah colliding with each other, mutated metal meeting mutated metal, claws scraping into skin.

"_Alex, stop!_"

Mercer didn't answer, just kept walking as quickly as he could, an injured Toby pressed against his side. Streaks of that cyan blue raced around them, and before his eyes, a wall began to close, strands of biomass locking them out of the Keres and Pariah deathmatch.

"Keres! _Keres!_"

Her tail whipped across Pariah, sending the redhead flying, and she turned, that gentle smile on her face. Her lips moved, but he couldn't hear what she was saying. . . But he could see. The familiar shape of those words, the way her lips moved. . .

"_I love you, Toby_."

A few moments later, the biomass snapped shut, more and more of the tendrils forming a muscled mass of locks to prevent anyone from exiting. . . Or entering. Finally finding the strength to free himself, Toby wrenched himself out of Alex's hold and flung himself against the wall, prying at the biomass with his fingers.

"_Keres, goddamn you, open up! Don't do this!_" He was screaming, his voice turning hoarse, but he didn't care. For every strand of biomass he was capable of ripping out with his weakened body, two more replaced it, the happy, glowing blue streams of virus locking him out.

Alex grabbed at his arms, pulling him away, and Toby fought against him even harder, snarling in rage.

"Alex, let me go! Goddamn you, this is your fault - she's going to _die!_"

"If we don't stop this infection, the entire world will die." Alex replied, continuing to drag Toby along.

Fury coursed through Toby.

"Fuck, Alex, don't you _care_? She's killing herself - _for you!_"

Alex whirled on him, hands gripping his shoulders so tightly that Toby could feel bruises forming. His helmet was cracked severely, and he could see Alex's eyes, damn near white.

"I _know_. She did it so we could stop _this_. It's what she told me to do. She told me to grab you and get out of there - it was what she wanted, Toby."

Toby had a keen sense. He knew when Alex was lying or keeping things from him, but. . . He wasn't. His voice didn't grow sharper like it normally did. In their mental conversation, Toby had heard whispers - had seen images. _She was talking to Alex at the same time. But. . . _

Grief swamped through Toby as he knew what her fate would be.

"We don't have time for a breakdown, Knight. _Move_."

Alex was right. He knew it - but those words didn't stop the pain. The fact that Keres was sacrificing herself for the two of them didn't make his heart ache any less. he finally had a family, a dysfunctional, awkward family, and already it was falling to pieces. Alex spurred him into moving, and together, the two of them set off at a fast jog - all Toby could manage.

His strength was fading, and the armor was just barely holding together. It pressed in tightly over his stomach, keeping him from bleeding out.

"What's. . . What's the plan?" Toby asked, his voice rough. He was just barely managing to keep his emotions in check.

A beat passed, and a tense silence fell over them.

"Alex?" Toby prompted.

"I don't know. I don't know how to stop this infection. I _don't_."

"Then how do we-"

A roar split the air, powerful and loud.

_Hunters_.

Alex grabbed his hand tightly, and half-carrying, half-dragging Toby, tried to run as fast as possible. Toby tried to keep up, hearing more and more howls, and fear coursed through him a second time. How many Hunters were chasing them? Judging by the howls, there had to be at least seven. Did that mean Keres had failed? Was she still alive?

Alex skidded to a stop, and Toby surveyed their surroundings. Ahead, there was a three-way intersection, and two pathways were completely weight down with gargantuan tendrils of biomass. Alex cursed. Toby agreed. It would take far too long to break through them to continue going. The Hunters would catch up to them. Alex turned to the direction they'd just run from, and then back to Toby.

"You have to go, Toby. I'll hold them off-"

"No. No, no no _no_."

"-for as long as I can."

"_No! _If we die, we die _together_."

Under his helmet, Toby was certain Alex was smiling. His eyes crinkled in dry humor, but that was all the warning he got before Alex threw him.

His body twisted and turned, sliding through the last of the open intersections. Toby struggled to get to his feet, the armor over his stomach cracking, and fresh waves of pain were assaulting him. He looked up, determined to get back to his feet and sock Alex across the chin for his transgressions - but biomass was falling over the intersection, blocking him off.

"Alex. . . No." He wheezed. He had to get to that asshole. Goddamnit, he'd go down fighting, too. He might have been scared shitless of the Hunters, but he wasn't about to let Alex face a pack of them alone.

Alex had his back turned to him, a blade already mutating. A second one was joining the first, but that was the last view of Alex he got before the biomass covered his vision completely. Toby dragged himself up to his feet and grabbed at it, trying to find a weakness, but there wasn't one.

Seconds later, he heard the sounds of Hunters, and Alex warring with them.

_I'm losing everybody. God damn it. _

Though there wasn't time for him to wallow in his grief, Toby did. he knew that Pariah would just make more and more Hunters until Alex fell to one, and then it would be all over. He rested his back against the biomass, breathing out a heavy sigh as anguish swamped through him. Above him, a conduit for Bloodtox happily hissed away, dripping red viral enhancer everywhere.

_It's my fault. _

_I don't know how, but it's got to be my fault. _

He closed his eyes - and opened them again when a sharp stab wove through his stomach. He looked down - and found blood pulsing around the cracks of the armor. _Fuck. . . It's falling apart already. Alex must have done that. _

His eyes followed it lazily as it dripped down, trailing over his thigh - and then fell onto the floor.

Where it landed with a hiss.

He stopped.

And stared.

And the cogs began to turn.

More blood trailed over the floor, digging through the biomass like acid. In a few short moments, he could see the street below the sticky growth. He craned his neck back and looked at the Bloodtox pipeline again, and a hazy idea began to form in his head.

"My blood's toxic. I could. . . I could do that."

If he found the central distribution center, he could put his blood into the pipelines and pump it through the biomass. And it would eat through it like acid. Hope coursed through Toby as he pushed himself off of the biomass wall and began to jog, tracing the Bloodtox pipeline. He could save them. The both of them. If he got there in time before Alex fell, he could pump his blood everywhere.

Like a bigger version of his blood bombs.

Toby ran, ignoring the pain in his stomach, and in an attempt to save as much of his blood, pressed a hand to the injury. No telling how much he might need. His breaths came out in raspy pants, and his head spun as he kept running, hoping and praying that he'd be able to find the distribution center as fast as possible.

Luck, apparently, was on his side.

In a handful of seconds, he found the remnants of the Blackwatch facility sprawling below him, crawling with biomass. Nearly ten Bloodtox pipelines were all plugged into a dome-like structure, something he guessed was the complex that made and distributed it. Toby hastened to it, and found a ripped-open doorway, jagged metal pieces looking as though somebody had ripped into them.

_From earlier. This was Alex. _

A giddy laugh escaped Toby as his fingers traced the jagged pieces-

But it was cut short as he heard a bone-chilling howl, terrifyingly close.

He ducked inside, and to the left, a metal panel had separated from the wall. It wasn't as thick as he would like, but it would be thick enough to get the job done. He wouldn't need long. Gripping it, Toby pulled, muscles straining. The armor was just barely covering his body now, skeletal remains of what it had once been. More seconds passed, in which he swore he could hear the heavy footfalls of Hunters, and adrenaline coursed through him.

Finally, _finally_, it began to move, metal shrieking in defiance. He pushed, prodded, and pulled, but managed to cover the hole. Stepping back, Toby turned to the room. The pipelines led to four giant vats, and those vats were connected to some kind of storage container set into the ground. It was filled with a clear liquid, and framing it, there were canisters marked, "BX."

Toby moved over to it, his heart stuttering in his chest.

He stared at it, taking precious seconds to try and understand the mechanism.

There was a lid over the container in the ground, and from what he could see, a valve that separated the liquid from the vats. A canister-loader device was sitting right next to it. _They drop a can of Bloodtox into the loader, it goes into the liquid, liquid goes into the vats. _

Easy enough.

There wasn't any power (from what he could see, the vats were running on auxiliary) - so he couldn't use the loader.

Using what was left of his strength, Toby ripped off the lid to the container, and sat there, broken glass surrounding him. Numbly, he grabbed a shard, and gritting his teeth, began to saw away. The armor over his stomach was the easiest to dispose of. It separated easily, damaged as it was, and blood streamed from his injuries. It hit the liquid, looking like oil, and began to accumulate.

_More. _

_I need more. _

With adrenaline numbing the pain, Toby started hacking away.

The sound of tearing metal only added to his fear, and Toby swallowed as he continued to mutilate himself, the glass sharp growing slick in his hand. He hardly felt it when the glass sliced through his skin, but his efforts were paying off. More and more of his blood accumulated in the pool, dying it a light pink.

Metal rent, and Toby turned around numbly, bloodloss making him slow. His vision blurred.

There, in the doorway, stood a Hunter. It looked at him and growled, eyeless face locked onto him in rage.

Toby smiled. He was exhausted.

It crouched and sprang - and Toby fell backwards.

The liquid sloshed around him, and overhead, he saw the Hunter fly, overshooting him. The world was a horrible shade of pink, and still, his injuries bled, leaking more and more of his blood. It was enough. It had to be. He was too tired to cut himself anymore.

He looked down at the valve, right next to his feet, and he kicked it. Again. Again.

It began to bend, but his lungs were starving for air.

He kept kicking it, trying as hard as he possibly could.

Overhead, a huge, monstrous form lurked, looking down at the pool with curiosity. A clawed hand reached in, looking as it to scoop him out, but as soon as it came into contact with the liquid, steam shot out, and bits of dead Hunter floated down. It howled in agony (something Toby could feel, even with the liquid pressing around him), and withdrew.

_If I surface, it'll kill me. _

He couldn't.

His lungs were on fire, but he kept kicking, wishing the fucking piece of metal would just _break, _already. . .

One last kick. That was all he could do.

Toby reared back and kicked it right as his body instinctively tried to breath, and liquid rushed into his lungs, gelatinous and coppery-flavored. It put out the fire. He laid there, comforted by the rocking of the liquid as it moved, and he closed his eyes. Nobody would begrudge him if he slept, would they? He was exhausted, and he felt content.

_I'll pay for my sins_, a voice echoed in his head, _just like you paid for yours. _

He smiled, mentally, as the darkness began to press in around him.

_No, _he thought, _but now. . . Now I've paid for them. _

And then there was nothing but silence.


	13. Making The Future

**Disclaimer**: I do not own any part of the Prototype universe. All characters are property of those who own Prototype. If anybody tries to gain money off of this franchise - be forewarned. Alex Mercer _will _find you, and you may find yourself sharing the fate of Karen Parker.

* * *

**Title**: Infectum.

**Summary**: Blacklight is back. Toby Knight and Alex Mercer team up to uncover the source of the viral flare - and ultimately end up revealing more secrets from Blackwatch. Armageddon is a lot closer than anyone thinks. . . M/M, slight AU. Continued from Sanctum.

**Rating:** M. Finally upgraded it!

**Author's Notes: **Told you there would be an epilogue.

My, my, Toby. When will you learn? Alex isn't the man you want him to be, just like you aren't the man he wants you to be. It's an endless, vicious cycle, and you're just too addicted to it to notice. I wonder how you two are going to react to each other when he tries to take over the world?

Anyway, here's the epilogue, presented to you in full! Sorry it took so long, it's the end of the semester.

. . . and I didn't know so many people were so emotionally invested last chapter. ;=;

**Please Note**: FF still loves to eat my stylistic choices. And spacing choices. And a few other things, just so you know.

**Warnings: **No warnings. Besides the fact that there's going to be a sequel.

**Say whhhaaatttt?! **

* * *

It's the same old situation  
I know  
I know I can let go  
I thought I should tell you  
That I made my last mistake  
I thought I should tell you

. . .

You're living a lie  
You're living a dream  
You're holding on so tight  
You're living the way you think you should be

"So What If You Go" - Adelita's Way

* * *

Dying changed a lot of things.

Clinically, Toby had been dead for three minutes and forty-two seconds. And, to be brutally honest, he didn't remember most of his introduction back into life. One moment, he was in blackness, completely gone, and the next, he had been violently thrust into his body, writhing and thrashing. He had drowned and filleted himself so thoroughly, that for once in his life, Toby honestly didn't remember coming out of it.

He had officially "woken up" a few days later. He'd come to in an apartment in the Bronx, swaddled from head to toe in what seemed like a thousand mismatched comforters. His entire body had been bound tightly with bandages, his arms, legs, and chest proudly bearing the consequence of his insane plan at the Bloodtox depot center.

He'd drifted in an out for days, while invisible hands cared and tended to him. At times he heard voices, but they were always a nonsensical mumble in the back of his mind.

He'd had a dream, while he was stuck in his fever haze.

Alex had come to see him, although Toby honestly couldn't remember everything that he said. But Alex had sat down, and from what he could remember, had told him that he was leaving. It had been a very strange dream, and Toby hadn't liked it.

Eventually, however, he'd regained his mind. And the first thing he had woken up to was an exhausted Keres.

He still remembered that moment fondly.

"_Hey, Toby. I was worried you weren't going to actually wake up_." She said, her voice hoarse and cracking. He didn't need to see her face to know she was crying.

Wordlessly, he lifted his arms, and she wrapped herself around him gently. Toby held her for what seemed like hours, clutching him to her. He thought she'd been lost, when she had locked herself into Pariah's arena.

Toby cried too, relieved that the consequences of his actions weren't permanent. When he had seen her, laying on the asphalt, just and arm and a leg attached to a torso. . .

There wasn't quite words for the feeling that had shredded his insides.

Eventually, Keres parted, rubbing at her eyes and smiling.

"_I was so worried about you. I couldn't the bleeding to stop. I thought you were going to die._"

"_Tougher to kill n' I look._" He replied, voice gravelly.

Keres smiled softly.

"_I'm glad."_

"_Where's Mercer?_"

Funny, how two words had changed everything.

Keres's demeanor diminished entirely, and her eyes flickered with an untold pain. If he'd known how much change that one, stupid question invited, he wouldn't have bothered asking.

_"What?_" He prodded.

_"He's gone. Alex. . . Alex left_."

The answer, so simple and succinct, had left him in an emotional coma.

Well, really, Toby had just. . . He'd just run out of fucks to give. If Mercer could leave them all, just drop them like a five dollar whore - well. . . It certainly spoke volumes for their relationship, that was for certain.

It brought to mind a lot of questions Toby didn't want to think about. Like, what he meant to Mercer. How he really felt about the man. How Mercer really felt about him. . .

It was just easier to not think about those questions.

_It really is funny, how I thought about being a small bird, trapped in a little cage. It's all so different now_.

It was just him and Keres now, sharing an apartment she had filched. Areas surrounding Manhattan were just as bad off - primarily due to looters and the quarantine zone placed around the island. But it was a nice apartment, with a lot of space, set inside of a city with actual _people_, something he could get used to.

At first, though, he'd begged them to leave. To go someplace far, far away.

Keres had declined.

So, Toby had taken to laying around recovering from his brush with death, plotting and planning on how to leave. . . with Keres in tow. He wasn't about to give up on his last living family member. He just had to show her that staying near that cursed island wasn't the right way.

All of that time, however, gave him more opportunities to reflect on Mercer.

And that was something he didn't want to go through. As of right then and now, Toby had decided that that bastard could go rot in whatever place he'd settled in for his soul-searching.

In the meantime, however. . . he had bits and pieces of his life to cobble together.

A lot of things had changed, and he knew he was going to have to just deal with it.

First and foremost: he had been mutated. He could feel the virus in his body, mixing with his blood, crackling like electricity through his veins. Whatever Keres and Blackwatch had done to him, it had worked.

It was odd. He wasn't human anymore.

It was even stranger that that fact didn't bug him.

He knew he wasn't human. At times, he could feel Keres, could sense her like a blip on a radar. Sometimes, he even got strange mood flashes - and he'd found that it was what _she _was feeling. Upon realizing this phenomenon, Toby had worked at mentally bricking himself off from her. It had worked, but damn, it was hard.

A lot of his newly-found abilities brought tons of unforeseen consequences, most of which he had to deal with on his own.

There might have been instructors for hand to hand, manuals on how to break down and clean a gun, self-help guides for what war did to his head - but there was no guidebook on how to deal with viruses and the chaos they wrought.

Toby shook his head as an overwhelming pang of regret swamped over his mental barrier, and he rubbed at the back of his neck, getting to his feet. He knew where he'd find her, and he figured they were both long overdue for a chat about what happened that day.

It was hard to believe they hadn't spoken a single word about it during their time in the Bronx, nearing almost four weeks now.

Making his way through the nicely-furnished apartment, Toby meandered his way to the roof access stairwell. As he opened the door, he found the object of his search standing by the railing.

And he paused, momentarily taken aback.

Keres had radically changed her look. She wore combat boots, offset by girly short-shorts, and she wore a short-sleeved hoodie, proudly baring her arms to the world, and were completely free of the mottled red that had once plagued them.

"Keres?" He asked.

"Hi." She responded absently, her chin tucked into her hands.

Toby left the doorway and stood beside her, resting his arms on the railing as well. There, glittering in distance, laid Manhattan island. They couldn't have been more than twenty miles away from it.

"_We can always go. Somewhere else. Far away from people. To the mountains. You wanted to go to the mountains, didn't you_?" He'd begged her once.

It hadn't been one of his proudest moments, Toby admitted, but it had been an honest one. He was finally fed up with lying to himself. He was never going to love the plagued disease that Manhattan had become. And he wanted to move far, far away, find Alex (after punching him twenty times in the balls), hunker down in a house somewhere, and tell the world to go shove a stick up its ass.

He was just _done_. He'd played his part.

"Pariah's going to come back," Keres said, eyes never wavering from the sunset. "I have to stay here, Toby. To make sure I can stop him. . . and I'm sorry. But you can leave if you want-"

"We're family." He cut over her softly, "And I'm done leaving people behind. But that's not really what you want to talk about, is it?"

They were quiet for a moment, but it was a comfortable silence, something Toby didn't mind. He let Keres gather her thoughts.

"I was wondering if you forgave me." She answered after a few minutes, "I was so angry, I lashed out. Pariah gave me the chance, so I took it. I never wanted to hurt you, really. And now. . ." She trailed off, her voice wavering slightly.

"There's nothing to forgive. We can't change what happened. Besides, you don't know the meaning of fight. Once, Mark and I got into it, and oh, man, he broke my nose and I damn near gave him a concussion. We didn't talk for two months straight."

She straightened and turned to him, a smile on her face. And that was when Toby received a second surprise.

When he'd first met her, Keres had had one blue eye and one bloody red eye. Now, she had one blue eye. . . and a green one.

The same color as his.

She smiled a little more widely at the expression on his face.

"I hope you don't mind. I figured. . . it's uh. . as you know-" She stuttered, trying to find the right words.

"It suits you."

She beamed up at him, and then turned back to the sunset, smile still firmly in place.

"I'm glad you like it. I was hoping you would. I was worried you'd get creeped out."

Toby laughed, and roughly clapped his hand up against Keres's back.

"Nah, kid. After all the shit I've been through, this isn't even a blip on the radar."

They stood there, a metric ton of unsaid things lingering between them. There was a lot Toby wanted to ask about. If she'd had any words with Mercer before he left. Who had saved him. What had happened between her and Pariah. . . there was too much to even think about. Giving her arm a nudge, Toby gestured back to the door.

"Let's go get something to eat, yeah? Watch a movie or somethin' tonight."

Keres eagerly jumped away from the railing and bounced through the door. Toby took another moment to glance behind him, at the red that cloaked Manhattan.

Yeah. . . yeah, he was pretty much sick and tired of viral infections and that stupid island.

But, he mused, staring out at the bloody red hues of the setting sun, that was life.

_Life's a bitch and then you die. _


End file.
